


What Love Can Do, That Dares Love Attempt

by Anonymous



Series: Shakespeare Has Nothing on Us [7]
Category: Supernatural, Supernatural RPF
Genre: Arguing, Brotherly Bonding, But you figure your collective shit out very quickly, Celebrations, Christmas Party, Developing Friendships, F/M, First Dates, First Meetings, First Time, Jensen Ships It, Job Promotion, Making Love, Making Up, Moving, Oral Sex, Pre-Relationship, Secret Santa, So Does Jared You Just Don't Know It Yet, Thanksgiving, Vaginal Sex, Will add tags for each new chapter, You and Misha are both dumbasses, accidental love confession, slices of life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:00:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29148597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: More moments in your life with Misha, from your first meeting to beyond happily ever after.(See individual chapter notes to know where in the Shakespeare Has Nothing on Us series each story fits. )
Relationships: Misha Collins & Reader, Misha Collins & You, Misha Collins/Reader, Misha Collins/You
Series: Shakespeare Has Nothing on Us [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2046971
Kudos: 5
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Meeting Misha

**Author's Note:**

> Pre- What's in a Name.

“I need some auditions, Liz,” you said over the phone to your agent, Elizabeth Haynes, as you paced around your apartment in Los Angeles. “I don’t care if it’s a 1-episode guest role or even a Lifetime movie of the week, anything would be better than this last part.”

You had just gotten word that the sitcom you were working on,  _ Love by the Book _ , was being cancelled after one season. You actually considered yourself lucky that you didn’t have to do another one. The writing was actually pretty awful and you hated your character, but you had agreed to the role as a favor to your friend and co-star, Norah St. Germain, after the actress who portrayed your character in the pilot had suddenly quit. 

“Well there  _ is  _ a pilot for Hallmark, and a couple of small movie roles… Wait, I actually did just get something that I think would suit you,” Liz said. You heard her clicking her computer mouse. “Ah, here it is. There’s a guest role on the upcoming season of  _ Supernatural _ .”

“ _ Supernatural _ ? That monster hunting show?”

“Yeah, the one on the CW that films up in Vancouver. You’d be playing a hunter named Nikki Sutton for a two-episode arc.”

“Fine. Send me the info and set up an audition.”

You heard Liz typing, then your phone chimed with an alert. “Ok, it’s in your inbox. I’ll let you know when your audition is.”

“Great. Thanks.”

After you hung up you pulled up the information and script pages. Like Liz had said, you’d be auditioning for the role of Nikki Sutton, a hunter who would be meeting up with the main characters of the show to help hunt whatever monster they were pursuing.

You had never seen  _ Supernatural _ but figured you might as well watch a few episodes in order to prepare for your audition.

You pulled up your Netflix account, pleased when you saw that  _ Supernatural _ was available to stream.

You skipped through the first episode to get a feel for the show, then chose an episode at random.  _ Lazarus Rising, _ you thought.  _ Huh. Okay. Sounds interesting enough. _

You studied the performances of the actors who played the hunters and began to formulate a character profile for your portrayal of Nikki. You left the episode on as you began to read over the script pages, looking back up as the roof of the barn that Dean Winchester and Bobby Singer were in started rattling and the lights exploded.

A guy wearing a black suit with a white dress shirt, blue tie and tan trench coat entered the barn.  _ Hello there, _ you thought, intrigued. You continued watching as the shotgun rounds Dean and Bobby shot at him as he walked towards them had no effect. Then you heard him speak. “Oh my,” you said aloud. His voice was gravel laid over steel and you could feel the power in this guy’s performance as he pulled the knife that Dean stabbed him with out of his chest, stopped Bobby’s crowbar one-handed without even looking at him, worked some sort of mojo on Bobby to knock him out, then turned back to Dean, fixing the bluest eyes you’d ever seen on him.

You briefly wondered if he wore contacts before asking yourself out loud, “who  _ is  _ this guy?” at the same time Dean asked, “Who are you?”

“Castiel,” he answered.

You looked back at the script pages you had been sent. The scene you were reading for your audition was between Nikki, Dean, Sam, and…  _ Castiel _ .

You grabbed your laptop and pulled up the IMDB page for  _ Supernatural _ , scrolling down until you saw that Castiel was played by an actor named Misha Collins.

You saw that he had portrayed Castiel in a number of episodes and figured he must be a series regular.  _ I’ll just watch a few more, _ you thought.  _ Get a feel for the character since I’d have to be playing opposite him. _

Over the next week you had binge-watched the entirety of seasons 4 & 5 and were as prepared as you possibly could be for your audition.

You took a cab to the studio and sat, waiting to be called. You waited as several other actresses rotated in and out until you were the last one left.

“Y/F/N Y/L/N?” a woman with a clipboard said.

You stood. “That’s me.”

“Hi, nice to meet you. Come with me,” she said.

She led you to a room where a white curtain hung on a wall. You stood on the mark on the floor and waited as the 5 people at the table in front of you stopped writing.

The woman at the end of the table looked up. “Okay, name and part you’re auditioning for?”

“I’m Y/F/N Y/L/N and I’m auditioning for the role of Nikki Sutton,” you said.

“Okay, begin when you’re ready.”

You cleared your throat and gave Nikki’s first line, playing off of the casting folks who were reading Sam, Dean and Castiel’s lines.

When you were done, the same woman who had spoken to you first nodded. “Okay, thank you. We’ll be in touch.”

You left the studio, feeling hopeful about your performance.

* * *

It had been about a month since your audition when your phone rang. “Hey, Liz, what’s up?” you greeted your agent.

“Y/N, great news. The casting folks at the CW have offered you the role of Nikki Sutton on  _ Supernatural _ , and not only that, but they were so impressed with your audition that they want to extend the role from two episodes to four!”

You were shocked. It had been so long since your audition that you were sure you hadn’t gotten the part. “Wow, that’s fantastic!” 

“Your episodes start filming on October 28th, so they’ll need you up there on the 27th. I’ll send you your flight and hotel information.”

“Ok, thanks Liz. You’re the greatest, you know that?"

“Yeah, just remember to thank me when you win your first Emmy.”

You laughed. You’ll be the first person on my list.”

* * *

Two months later, you stepped out of the makeup trailer and onto the  _ Supernatural _ set for the first time. You looked around, unsure of where to go.

You were just about to head back inside to ask for directions to the set when you heard a voice off to your side. “Can I help you with something?”

You turned and were met with blue eyes that you had only seen on TV but had become so familiar with that you knew you could pick them out of a lineup. “Uhh…”  _ Holy shit, he’s even more attractive in person, _ you thought, taking in the man in the suit and trench coat.

You must’ve been staring a bit too long because he tried again. “You look lost, I just thought...”

You blinked.  _ His voice _ … it wasn’t gravelly at all. Instead it filled you with warmth and comfort.

You mentally shook your head.  _ Get it together, Y/N. _ “Oh yeah, uh, sorry... I’m new and not exactly sure where I’m supposed to be going. I’m playing Nikki for the next few episodes.”

A bright grin bloomed on his face. “Well then, welcome to _Supernatural_.” He stuck out his hand for you to shake. “I’m Misha. I play Castiel.”

You took his hand. “Y/N. It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too.” His touch lingered for a few moments before he let your hand go. “I’m heading to set anyway, so I’ll walk you there. It’s this way.”

“Thank you.”

You pulled Nikki’s leather jacket tighter as you walked, partly due to the cold Vancouver weather and partly due to nerves.

Misha apparently noticed because he suddenly stopped. “Here,” he said, shrugging out of the trench coat and placing it around your shoulders. “You look cold.”

“Oh, um, thanks,” you replied. You could feel your cheeks starting to heat up as you inhaled the subtle earthy scent of Misha’s cologne. “I’m not used to this kind of weather.”

“Oh? So where are you from?” Misha asked as you two resumed walking.

“I’m originally from (your hometown), but I’ve lived in L.A. for the past 15 years.”

You arrived at the barn that you would be filming in and you handed Misha his trench coat back. “Thanks for helping me keep warm,” you said with a gentle smile.

“You’re welcome,” Misha replied, opening the door for you after he pulled his coat back on. “After you.”

You stepped inside the barn and took a deep breath, trying to settle your nerves.

“Have you met Jared and Jensen yet?” Misha asked you.

You shook your head. “I think I've now met just about everyone on the cast & crew  _ except  _ for them.”

Misha chuckled. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

He placed a gentle hand on your back and guided you over to where the two actors you recognized as Sam and Dean stood. The two had been talking but stopped and turned when they saw you and Misha approach.

“Hey guys,” Misha said. “This is Y/N, she’s playing Nikki. Y/N, this is Jared and Jensen.”

“Hi, nice to meet you guys,” you said, giving them a small wave.

“You too,” Jared replied.

“Yeah, same,” Jensen added.

“Alright, let’s get this show on the road!” the director of the episode called out.

You ran through the scene a couple of times, then took your mark for your first scene as Nikki. You took a deep breath, letting the character settle into your bones.

The director looked at the screen in front of him. “Rolling! And… action!”

* * *

_ “You Winchesters, always poking your noses where they don't belong,” the vampire sneers. “Well this time it looks like you --” _

_ Suddenly the vampire’s head is sliced off its neck. _

_ The body falls to reveal a woman with (Y/E/C) eyes and (Y/H/C) hair wearing a white form-fitting t-shirt, black leather jacket, blue jeans, and sneakers. She grins at the trio as she lowers her machete. "Hey, boys. What's shakin'?" _

_ Cas mutters to Sam, “I didn’t feel anything move, did you?”  _

_ Sam just chuckles and goes to greet the new hunter, who is giving Dean a warm hug. “Sam and Dean Winchester, how the hell are you guys?” _

_ "Hiya, Nikki." _

_ Dean puts an arm around her and guides her towards Cas. “Cas, this is Nikki Sutton, one of the most badass hunters out there. Nikki, meet Castiel, our resident winged messenger of the Lord.” _

_ Nikki appraises Cas. "I had heard that you guys had some help from on high, but I wasn't sure if I should believe it or not." Nikki sticks her hand out for Cas to shake. "It's nice to meet you." _

_ Cas takes it. He squints and tilts his head. "Have we met before?" _

_ Nikki shakes her head with a small laugh. "No, I think I'd have remembered meeting you. Unless you have some sort of 'Men In Black' memory wipey power or something." _

_ Cas shrugs. "I am very powerful but memory alteration is not one of my gifts." _

_ Sam interrupts. "So Nikki, what are you doing here?" _

_ “I was in the area and caught wind of a possible vamp nest,” Nikki explains. "And it seems like I got here just in time, too." _

_ She stoops down and wipes her blade on the dead vamp's shirt. "So how about you boys treat me to a drink as a thank-you and we'll catch up?" _

* * *

Jared, Jensen, and Misha all made you feel welcome and you got over your ‘first-day-of-a-new-project’ jitters very quickly. You could see the camaraderie between the three men and they all worked to make you feel included.

After you had wrapped for the day, you headed back to your temporary trailer to wash the dirt and grime of filming off of yourself and change back into your normal clothes.

You exited your trailer and were headed back to the front of the lot to go back to your hotel when you heard Misha calling your name. “Y/N! Hey, wait up!”

You stopped and let him catch up to you. “Hey, Misha, what’s up?”

Misha rubbed the back of his neck. “Um, Jared, Jensen and I are gonna go have a few drinks later tonight and I -- I mean, we -- were wondering if you wanted to come with us? I mean, if you don’t already have plans, that is.”

You glanced over to where Jared and Jensen were watching the two of you. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to interrupt boys’ night.”

Misha shook his head. “Oh, it’s nothing like that. We just go out to this local bar and have a couple of drinks, very low-key. You wouldn’t be interrupting anything at all.”

You bit your lip. “If you’re sure…”

“I’m sure.” Misha smiled at you. “Please come?”

You couldn’t help but smile. “Well, since you asked so nicely, yeah, okay. I’d love to.”

“Great!” He named a bar that was near your hotel. “Eight o’clock?”

You nodded. “Sounds great. See you guys there.”

* * *

Later that evening, you were in your hotel room trying on yet another shirt to wear to go out when your phone rang with a FaceTime call.

"Norah, hey," you said as you sat on your bed with a huff. 

"Y/N, hey! How was your first day of filming?" 

"It was actually really good. My first scene was Nikki's introduction and the guys did their best to make me feel comfortable."

You paused. "Um, in fact Misha invited me to hang out with him and the guys tonight."

"WHAT?! Why didn't you lead with that? News that you're going out with a hot guy is important!"

"It's just drinks with him, Jared, and Jensen, it's not like he asked me out on a date or anything. I should just cancel." You groaned and flopped down on your bed. "Wait, I can't cancel. I don't have any of their numbers."

Norah raised an eyebrow. "How many outfits have you tried on?"

You glowered then eyed the mess on your hotel room floor. "Twelve."

Norah shook her head with a laugh. "Wear that red shirt I gave you for your birthday. It'll look nice but not overly dressy and won't seem like you're trying too hard."

You huffed out a breath. "Thanks, Nor."

"Text me after, ok?"

"Sure will. Love ya."

"Love you too."

You hung up and changed your shirt, then touched up your makeup and fixed your hair. You slipped your comfortable sneakers on and grabbed your ID, credit card, and room key before rushing out of the door.

* * *

"Shit, shit, shit," you muttered to yourself as you finally made it to the bar at 15 minutes past 8. You entered the crowded bar and spotted Jared, Jensen, and Misha sitting in a nearby booth, each with a beer in front of them. Jared and Jensen were talking animatedly while Misha absentmindedly peeled the label off of his seemingly untouched beer bottle.

You headed over.

Jensen noticed you first. "Y/N! You made it!" 

"I am so sorry I'm late," you said as you reached the table. "I had decided to walk here from the hotel and realized after about six blocks that I was headed in the wrong direction."

"It's no problem, right guys?" Jared said. "So Y/N, what's your preference? First round's on me."

You answered as you shrugged your coat off and took a seat in the open space next to Misha.

Jared nodded. "Be right back."

A minute later, Jensen's phone rang. "That's Dani, I better take it."

He also exited the booth, leaving you and Misha alone.

Those blue eyes that set your heart aflutter looked over at you. "I'm glad you could make it," Misha said with a soft smile.

You cringed. "Again, I'm so sorry I'm late. I wanted to text you and let you know I was still coming but I realized I don't have any of your cell numbers."

"Oh, well--"

"Alright, here you go," Jared interrupted as he returned with your drink. "Where'd Jensen go?"

"Daneel called," Misha replied.

"That reminds me, I should check on Gen," Jared said. "One second."

He pulled out his phone and sent off a text message before repocketing it. "My wife's pregnant with our first kid," he explained. "A boy."

"Aww, congrats," you replied before taking a sip of your drink. "When's she due?"

"March."

"Good luck to you both."

"Thanks."

Jensen walked back up to the table. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing, just telling Y/N here about my impending parenthood. How's Dani?"

"She's good. Just got a break from filming so she decided to see what I was up to."

"Your wife's an actress?" you asked. "Do I know her?"

"Uh, I dunno, Daneel Harris?"

You shook your head. "No, I don't think I've worked with her before."

"Jared's wife is an actress too. Genevieve Cortese?"

You shook your head again. "No, sorry."

"She uh, she played Ruby on the show," Jared added.

"Wait, you're married to Ruby in real life? That's so adorable."

"What about you?" Misha asked casually. "Married? Kids?"

You shook your head. "Nope, I'm single as a pringle. What about you?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "No, not married, not seeing anyone."

"So have you ever watched the show?" Jared asked.

You definitely didn't want to admit to having binged-watched all of the episodes with Misha in them to his face, so you shrugged. "A few episodes."

"Who's your favorite character?"

"Oh, I couldn't decide."

Jensen tapped his beer bottle on the table. "Alright, time for another round."

Two hours and several more rounds of drinks later, you were all ready to call it a night. "Thanks for inviting me out tonight, guys, but I'm gonna head out," you said. 

"Yeah, I think I will too," Misha added. 

Jared and Jensen each gave you a brief hug. "Thanks for coming out," Jensen said.

“See you on Monday,” Jared added.

“Thanks for the invite,” you replied. “See you Monday.”

"Night, guys," Misha added. “Have a good weekend.”

You and Misha headed outside together. "Want to split a cab?" Misha asked.

You shook your head. "I'm just gonna walk, it's really not far when I actually know where I'm going."

"I'll walk you then," Misha offered. "I'd feel better knowing you got back to your hotel safely."

Your heart fluttered. "Yeah, okay."

Misha gestured in the direction of your hotel. "Shall we?"

You walked along together in a peaceful silence, enjoying the cool, crisp October night and soon you arrived back at your hotel. "Well, this is me," you said as you two entered the lobby. "Thanks for walking me back. I realize it was probably kinda dumb for me to be walking around a strange city alone at night, especially after I'd been drinking."

Misha shrugged. "This is a pretty safe area but you can never be too careful."

You shuffled your feet. "I had a lot of fun tonight."

Misha smiled. "Me too. You should hang out with us again, especially since you're going to be around for a couple of months."

"I'd like that."

Misha hesitated. "Oh, hey, uh, you said you didn't have our cell numbers to let us know you were running late, so how about I give you mine just in case you ever need it?"

"Okay." 

You pulled up a new contact and handed Misha your phone. "Here, put your number in."

Misha entered his number and handed the phone back to you. 

You quickly sent him a text message. "There, now you have mine too. So I'll... see you on Monday?"

Misha nodded. "Yeah, see you Monday."

"Night."

"Good night, Y/N."

You watched as Misha left then headed up to your room.

You pulled out your phone to text Norah and smiled when you had a response from Misha.

You sighed. It didn't seem like your crush was going to go away any time soon.


	2. Cryptic Krampus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During your last week as a guest star on Supernatural, you participate in the Supernatural cast and crew's annual Cryptic Krampus gift exchange.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still pre-What's in a Name. 
> 
> (We'll be pre-relationship for at least the next 4-5 chapters, but after that we'll be starting to delve in-between the stories!

“Oh hey, since you’ll be here through Christmas you should sign up for the Cryptic Krampus exchange,” Jared said as you sat with him, Jensen, and Misha in Jensen’s trailer.

“The Cryptic what now?” you asked.

Jensen laughed. “Krampus. Think of it as a  _ Supernatural _ version of Secret Santa.”

“So how does this ‘Cryptic Krampus’ thing work?”

“Well, everyone on the cast and crew who signs up for it draws a name, and every day during the week leading up to the break for Christmas and New Years we leave them a small gift, and on Friday during the Christmas party we give them their final gift and reveal who their Krampus was.”

“The Krampus part comes in because the first four days are usually mostly gag gifts,” Misha added. "It's a lot of fun."

“Do you usually participate?"

He grinned. "Yeah, I do. I still have the Peruvian fertility goddess statue that Spencer from the art department gave me last year."

You laughed. “Okay, cool. In that case then count me in. Where do I sign up?”

“There's a sign-up sheet in Wardrobe," Jared said. "Just be sure to do it by Thursday because we’ll all get our assignments on Friday afternoon.”

"Will do."

After filming was done for the day you stopped by Wardrobe to return Nikki's clothes and to sign up for the Cryptic Krampus gift exchange.  _ Now to wait and see who I got, _ you thought.

* * *

“So I think I know who my Krampus is,” Jared said to you as you sat in the chair next to him in the hair and makeup trailer together two weeks later.

You flicked your eyes over at him quickly as Natalie, your makeup artist, began prepping your face in order to do your makeup for the day and create a fake bruise on your cheekbone. “Oh?”

Jared nodded. “It’s gotta be Jensen. I mean come on, who else would give me a copy of  _ Parenting for Dummies,  _ a Superman-themed Snuggie, and [a wall calendar with pictures of natural formations that look like dicks](https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Dick-Pics-2019-Calendar/dp/B07GFST448/)?”

You laughed lightly. “Yeah, that totally sounds like gifts he’d give, huh?”

In truth, you were Jared’s Krampus. You had been relieved when you had pulled his name since it was someone you were familiar with and had decided to give him funny, yet still practical gifts - the book since he was about to become a dad for the first time, the Snuggie since he was always complaining he was cold, and the calendar… well, you just thought it was hilarious. You had also gotten him a zombie hand Chia Pet, which you had snuck into his trailer that morning before heading to hair and makeup.

“So what about you? What have you gotten from your Krampus?”

“A wine glass holder that attaches to the shower, a bag of Death Wish coffee, and a coffee mug that says ‘I do not spew profanities. I enunciate them clearly like a fucking lady’.” You grinned. “Whoever my Krampus is has obviously been paying attention because those are actually some pretty good gifts.”

Jared laughed. "Yeah it's definitely someone who knows about your affinity for coffee."

"Yeah but to be honest that could be anyone on set." You were rarely seen without a cup of coffee in your hands, either for warmth or your necessity for caffeine.

“So you have no idea who it is?”

You shook your head. “None whatsoever.”

The door opened and Misha and Jensen walked in. “Morning, guys,” you said with a smile. 

“Mornin’, Y/N,” Jensen said. “Jare.”

“Morning,” Misha added. “What’s up?”

“We’re talking about our Krampuses,” you answered. “Jared thinks he may know who his is and I, on the other hand, have no clue.”

“Well, we’ll all find out tomorrow at the Christmas party.” Jensen said.

“Yeah, I’m excited to find out who mine is. I’ve loved my gifts so far and can’t wait to see what my Krampus has in store for me today.”

“Oh actually I saw a gift bag hanging on the door of your trailer,” Misha said. “I bet it’s from them.”

You grinned. “Ooh, I can’t wait to go get it.”

“I’ll go get it for you,” he offered.

“Oh my gosh, would you?”

Misha shrugged. “Yeah, it’s no problem.”

“Thanks so much.”

A few minutes he returned and handed you a small black & red plaid gift bag. “Here you go, Y/N.”

Each gift bag you had received had had a small card with a pun pertaining to your gift attached to it. The card included with the wine glass holder read  _ Sip happens _ , the one with the coffee mug read  _ Java nice day _ , and the one with the bag of coffee had been your favorite so far -- it had read,  _ To help you through the daily grind. _

Your brow wrinkled at the pun on the accompanying card.  _ When life gives you avocados, make guacamole _ .

You reached into the bag and pulled out a pair of socks with avocados all over it.

A bright smile bloomed on your face. "Oh my god, I absolutely love these.”

“Okay, Y/N, you’re all done,” Natalie said, stepping back and giving you a once-over. 

You looked at yourself in the mirror. If you hadn't known any better you'd have thought you had been punched in the face. “Wow, this looks amazing, Natalie. Very realistic.”

You hopped off of the chair and went to sit on the couch as Jensen took your place. You removed your sneakers and stripped off your socks before pulling on your new ones, admiring them.

"They're cute," Natalie said, glancing over at your feet. 

You nodded. "Yep, it's official: these are my new favorite pair of socks."

You slipped your shoes back on and stood. "Alright, I'm gonna go get a coffee. See you guys on set?"

"Okay, see ya, Y/N," Jared, who had now moved over to hair, said as Misha took his place.

"Bye," Jensen and Misha echoed.

You headed back to your trailer to drop off your card, still wondering who your Krampus was.

* * *

"Alright, that's a wrap on episode fourteen!" Mike, the director for the episode, said. "See everyone tonight."

You applauded along with the rest of the cast and crew. The last day of filming before Christmas break was always a half day, so you were excited to get a nap in at your hotel before getting ready for the party that evening.

"So, Y/N, ready to find out who your Krampus is?" Jensen asked you as you headed back to your trailers.

"Are you?" you replied. 

He nodded. "Yep, sure am. I'll see you tonight?"

You grinned. "I'll be there with jingle bells on."

* * *

You had just gotten back to your hotel when your phone chimed with a text. You smiled when you saw it was from Misha.

Your heart fluttered at the thought of going to the party with Misha. _Oh come on,_ _it's not like he asked you out on a date,_ you reminded yourself sternly. _You're just two friendly co-workers riding to a party together._

You bit your lip and typed out a reply, locking your phone back and stepping inside the elevator once Misha had replied back with a confirmation.

You managed to get a few hours' nap in before you needed to get ready for the party. 

Since your stint on  _ Supernatural  _ was officially over and you were leaving to go back to Los Angeles the next day you decided to go ahead and pack so you wouldn’t be so rushed in the morning and gathered up everything but your toiletries and outfits for the party and the next day.

_ Geez, who would’ve thought I’d have accumulated so much more stuff while I was here? _ you thought, struggling with your suitcase’s zipper.  _ Good thing there’s room in my carry-on for everything that’s still out. _

You then took a shower and fixed your hair and makeup before slipping on the dress that you had bought for the party.

You had just finished putting on your jewelry when there was a knock on the door.

You took a deep breath and opened it. "Misha, hi," you said with a smile.

Misha blinked at you, taking in your outfit. "Wow, Y/N, you look beautiful."

You had chosen a simple  [ burgundy 3 quarter length sleeved dress ](https://m.rotita.com/three-quarter-sleeve-round-neck-dress-g247338.html) and a pair of shiny silver shoes and figured you'd just dress your outfit up a bit with some jewelry, so you wore a silver bracelet with tiny bells on it and a necklace with a larger bell to match.

Your cheeks heated up. "Thanks. You look great too."

Misha had chosen dark blue jeans with a black button-down shirt and black dress shoes. It was the perfect combination of dressy and casual and looked fantastic on him.

"You ready?" he asked.

You nodded and grabbed your purse and the bag of gifts you had bought before slipping on your  [ dark gray wool coat ](https://www.alpineswiss.com/womens/apparel/alpine-swiss-norah-womens-wool-blend-double-breasted-peacoat/) . "Yep, let's go."

The two of you headed downstairs into the taxi that Misha had waiting.

“So you head back to L.A. tomorrow, huh?” he said as the car got moving.

You sighed. “Yeah.” As much as you hated it, your time as Nikki had come to an end. “I’m going to miss it around here.”

Misha shrugged. “Castiel was only supposed to be around for three episodes and they wound up keeping me, so maybe they’ll bring you back again in the future.” He grinned. “We’re like the mob. Once you’re in, you’re in for life.”

You winked. “Well then, I better not go off and divulge any set secrets. I don’t want to wind up sleeping with the fishes.”

You grinned as Misha burst out in laughter. “But seriously,” you continued, “I really hope I can eventually come back again as Nikki. I’ve absolutely loved playing her and the past couple of months have been the best time I’ve ever had working on a set. Everyone was so welcoming and really did make me feel like part of the family rather than just some rando who would be gone soon anyway so why bother getting to know them at all. "

Misha nodded. “Yeah, we really have a great group of people on the cast & crew.”

The taxi pulled up to the banquet hall that Production had rented out for the Christmas party. 

Misha handed the driver some cash before sliding out of the cab, grabbing the gift bag that had been at his feet. He extended a hand out towards you. “Here, let me help you with that.”

“Thanks,” you replied, handing him the bag with your gifts in it before sliding out of the cab yourself. 

You grabbed some cash out of your purse. “Here, let me give you my half of the cab ride.”

Misha waved your hand away. “No, that’s okay, I got it.”

You shook your head. "No here, I insist."

Misha raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to give up until I take the money, are you?"

You grinned. "Not a chance."

Misha chuckled. "Okay then."

He took the cash and handed you your bag of gifts back, then you walked into the hall together.

"Wow, this is awesome," you said as you looked around at the decor.

He nodded, looking around himself. "Yeah, the props department always goes all out on decorations for the Christmas party."

You spotted Jared and Jensen over at a table near the Christmas tree. “Oh hey look, there’s Jared and Jensen. Let’s go say hi.”

You walked over to their table. “Hey guys.”

“Hey Y/N, Misha,” Jensen said, giving you a hug. “Here, come sit with us.”

“But first, Krampus gifts go under the tree. Later on each table will go and collect their gift and bring it to their recipient,” Jared added. 

“Okay, cool.” You pulled out Jared’s final gift, wrapped in completely different paper than what you had been using as to not tip him off, out of your bag and set it under the tree next to Misha’s recipient’s gift before returning to the table.

“Here, let me help you with your coat,” Misha said, holding your coat as you shrugged it off your shoulders.

“Thanks,” you replied with a smile, taking it and draping it over the back of your chair.

“Y/N, you look beautiful tonight,” Jared said, giving you a hug. 

“Yeah, really festive,” Jensen added as you turned to hug him as well.

You shook your wrist with a grin. “I told you I’d be here with jingle bells on.” 

Jensen pointed a thumb towards the bar. “I’m gonna go grab me a drink, you guys want one?” 

You all nodded. 

“Okay, be right back.”

You watched as Jensen headed over to the bar then began looking around at the other tables. You recognized all of the PAs at one table, the hair and makeup department at another, and all of the sound guys also sitting together. “Not much actual mingling, is there?” you said with a laugh.

Jared chuckled. “People will mingle later, everyone just tends to stick with their usual groups of friends until after the gift exchange.”

“Ah, okay.” 

Jensen returned a minute later, setting your drinks down on the table. “Here you go, Y/N,” he said, handing you yours. 

“Thanks, Jensen,” you replied.

You reached under the table where you had put your bag of gifts and pulled it out towards you. “Hey, before the festivities get started I wanted to give you each a little something.” 

“Aww, Y/N, you didn’t have to do that,” Jensen protested.

You shook your head. “I know, I know, but I wanted to. Consider them a thank you for making my time on  _ Supernatural  _ so great.”

You grabbed the guys’ gifts out of the bag. “Merry Christmas, guys.”

You set 2 bags in front of Jared. “That one actually is a baby gift,” you said, pointing to one of the bags. Jared pulled out the tissue paper then pulled out a  [ moose-themed gift set ](https://www.amazon.com/Trend-Lab-Buffalo-4Piece-Bucket/dp/B07SFBYCFQ/) with a rattle, baby blanket and toy all in a giftable bucket. “Aww, Y/N, this is so cute. Thank you.” 

“Be sure to send me pics of your little one,” you said.

He opened his second gift bag to reveal a hand-stitched, leather-bound journal. “I figured you could use it for journaling if you want, or if not, just notes and stuff.” 

“Thanks, Y/N.”

Next, you handed Jensen his gift. He pulled the wrapping paper off of the box and opened it, pulling out a Dallas Cowboys football jersey autographed by Tony Romo. 

“This is awesome,” Jensen exclaimed. “Thanks!”

Finally, you turned to Misha and handed him a card. “Merry Christmas, Misha.”

He opened the card and the smile dropped off of his face. His wide blue eyes met your (e/c) ones. “Y/N, you shouldn’t have.”

“What is it?” Jared asked.

“She made a donation to Random Acts,” Misha replied, referring to the non-profit organization he had started a couple of years prior. “And a rather sizable one at that.”

One day while you two were hanging out on set waiting for a reset after a take involving a stunt Misha had told you briefly about Random Acts and how it had gotten started. You had been moved by Misha’s kindness and generosity and wanted to help, so that evening you had gone back to your hotel and pulled up the website so you could make a donation. You had also been thinking about getting each of the guys a Christmas present, and ultimately decided that supporting Misha’s charity would be his gift.

Misha shook his head. “Y/N, I can’t accept this.”

You shook your head. “You can and you will,” you said. “Besides, it’s already done, no takebacksies.”

He reached over and pulled you into a hug. “Thank you so much,” he murmured into your ear.

You gave him a quick squeeze before pulling away. “It’s nothing.”

Misha shook his head. “Seriously, Y/N, thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

You gave him a small nod. “You’re welcome.”

Sara walked up to the small stage at the front of the hall. “Good evening, everyone,” she said. “Before we start our Christmas celebration I just wanted to say thank you for another great year. We have the best cast and crew I could ever hope to work with and I appreciate each and every one of you. So with that, eat, drink, and be merry and enjoy your holidays!”

Everyone cheered, then began heading towards the food tables.

You and the guys all got your food and went back to your table, chatting while you ate.

After everyone had eaten, Sara headed back up to the stage. “Okay, it’s time for the Krampus reveal! This year we’ll start with the tables here in the front and work our way towards the back.”

With that, she and some of the other executives handed out their gifts. Once they were done, you, Jared, Jensen, and Misha went and collected your gifts from under the tree, you heading back to your table and watching as Misha, Jensen, and Jared all went to give their Krampus recipients their gifts.

Once Jared had returned from giving his final gift to his Krampus recipient over at the next table you handed him his. “Merry Christmas, Jared,” you said with a grin. 

Jared’s jaw dropped. “Oh my god, I honestly thought it was Jensen!”

You shrugged. “He’s not the only one who’d give someone a calendar with natural formations that look like dicks.”

Jared threw his head back in laughter. “ I really loved my gifts -- I have the Chia Pet growing in my trailer and the  _ Parenting for Dummies _ book has actually been useful.”

You laughed. “I’d hoped so.”

You gestured towards his gift. “Hope you like that one too.”

He tore open the paper and examined the crystal chess set you had bought him. “Oh my god, this is amazing.”

He gave you a quick hug. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

In the meantime, Misha had returned to your table.

You turned to him. “So, how’d your Krampus recipient like their gift?”

Misha smiled. “I don’t know, I haven’t given it to her yet.”

He set the gift bag he had brought with him in front of you. “Merry Christmas, Y/N.”

You blinked. “No way,  _ you _ were my Krampus?”

Misha laughed lightly. “Yeah. I’m really glad you liked the avocado socks yesterday.”

You shook your head with a smile. “Oh my god, those were the greatest things ever. And all the puns… classic.”

You reached into the gift bag and pulled out a brand new hardback copy of your favorite novel. "Oh my gosh, I love this book! How did you know?"

Misha looked down at his lap. "I noticed that the paperback copy you carried around set is kind of worn so I figured it must be one you read a lot," he mumbled. "Thought you might like a new copy."

“Aww, Misha, this is so thoughtful,” you said. “Thank you.”

You peeked inside the bag again. "No note this time?"

"Oh it's uh, it's in the book."

"Oh okay." You opened the book to see what had been inscribed. 

_ Y/N, _

_ Now you have a reason to see me again because I want this book back or else I'll keep calling you -- while you're brewing your morning coffee, while you're brewing your afternoon coffee, while you're brewing your evening coffee… ;) _

_ (Hopefully this is a funny and not at all creepy-sounding way of saying that we’ll miss you around set and that I sincerely hope you stay in touch.) _

_ Always,  _

_ Misha _

_ PS: I’m glad the notes I included with your gifts this week have tickled your spine. _

You laughed and pulled Misha into a hug. “Of course I’ll stay in touch. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

Misha grinned. “Good.”

Jensen walked back up to your table and sat down. “So, who did y’all have?”

Jared grinned. “Well, I had Mark from Sound, Misha had Y/N, and apparently Y/N had me.”

Jensen turned to you. “You?  _ You’re _ the one who gave Jared that calendar?”

You grinned. “Yep.”

Jensen chuckled, shaking his head. “You are my new favorite person.”

“Aww, thanks, Jensen.”

The rest of the crew handed out their gifts and soon everyone started to mingle. Natalie from Makeup came to give you a hug. “I’ll miss that gorgeous face of yours,” she said, giving you a squeeze. 

“I’ll miss you too, Natalie,” you replied.

She nodded over at Misha, who was speaking with Andrew, one of the writers. “I think someone else is going to miss you too. You two spent a lot of time together.”

Your crush on Misha had definitely grown the more you had gotten to know him, but you did your best to squash it down since you knew your time on  _ Supernatural  _ would be limited. Besides, Misha was nice to everyone -- he knew what it was like to be the new person on set so it made sense for him to take you under his metaphorical wing.

You shrugged. “Misha? Yeah, he’s become a good friend the past couple of months.”

Natalie shook her head and gave you another hug. "Keep in touch, okay Y/N?"

You grinned. "Absolutely. Someone has to keep me apprised of the gossip around set."

"Will do."

Eventually the party started winding down. 

"Hey, Y/N, how about the four of us all hit up the bar one more time before you go?" Jared suggested.

It wasn't too late, so you shrugged. "Yeah, why not."

Jensen and Misha also agreed, so you all headed to the little bar & grill near your hotel and claimed what you had come to consider 'your' booth.

“Okay, first round’s on me,” Jensen announced. “Everyone want their usual?”

You all nodded and he left to go to the bar, returning shortly with your drinks.

You took a sip of your drink. “I’m really gonna miss you guys.”

“We’re going to miss you too, Y/N,” Jared replied. “You should come down to Texas this summer and visit. I really think you would get along great with Gen and Daneel.”

"Yes, absolutely," Jensen added.

You nodded. “Yeah, that sounds great. Thanks.”

The next several hours were spent drinking and reminiscing about fun times on and off set with the guys.

Eventually you checked your phone for the time, frowning when you realized how late it had gotten. 

"I should get going," you said. "I have to be at the airport kinda early."

Misha stood as well. “Here, let me walk you back to your hotel.”

You nodded as you shrugged your coat back on. “Okay. Thanks.”

You gave Jared and Jensen one last hug. “Bye guys.”

“Bye, Y/N,” they both replied.

“Seriously, this summer. Come visit,” Jensen added.

You nodded. “I will. I promise.”

You and Misha stepped out into the cold December air. 

You clutched your coat tighter to your body. “Ugh, one thing I will definitely not miss is the cold,” you said with a chuckle as the two of you began the walk back to your hotel.

Misha switched his gift from his Krampus from one hand to the other and put an arm around your shoulders, pulling you close to him. “Here, is this better?” he asked.

_ Oh god, yes, _ you thought, warmth flooding your bones. “Uh, yeah, thanks,” you replied instead.

You walked together in silence back to your hotel, you relishing in the feel of Misha’s arm around you. 

Normally when Misha walked you back to your hotel from the bar he dropped you off in the lobby, but tonight he walked you all the way to your door.

“Thanks,” you said. “For everything. You’ve been really great the past few months.”

“I meant what I said in your book's inscription,” Misha replied. “Well, not about wanting the book back, that was totally a joke, but about staying in touch.”

You nodded with a smile. “I will. I’ll text you when I get back in L.A. and get settled?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

"Okay, have a great Christmas then." You turned to swipe your key card. 

Misha grabbed your hand. “Y/N, wait…”

You looked up at him, heart beginning to race. “Yeah?”

He looked like he wanted to say something, but eventually shook his head. “Never mind. It’s nothing."

Your heart sank. "Oh, okay."

He leaned in and gave you a soft kiss on the cheek. “Good night, Y/N. Have a safe flight.”

“Thanks, Misha. Good night.”

With that you swiped your key card and entered your hotel room, your heart breaking for something that never was and never could’ve been.


	3. Guess Who's Back?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find out that you've been asked to come back to Supernatural as a series regular, and you and Misha spend some time together once you're back in Vancouver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still pre- What's in a Name, but we're getting closer to an established relationship!

"I miss it so much," you said over the phone to Norah as you lay on your bed. "I mean no offense but working on  _ Love by the Book  _ almost made me want to quit acting.  _ Supernatural _ saved my sanity."

Norah laughed. “No offense at all. But speaking of  _ Supernatural _ … have you talked to the three hottest co-stars on the planet lately?" 

It had been four months since you had gotten back to L.A. and as promised, you had kept in touch with the guys, mostly through text, although you had FaceTimed with them during their Friday night outings when Jared and Jensen weren’t back in Austin or they weren’t at a convention.

You grinned. "Yeah, I FaceTimed with them yesterday while they were waiting to go to set. Jared's little boy is so adorable -- he was showing me pictures of him."

Suddenly your phone beeped with an incoming call. "Oh hey, I gotta run. Liz is calling. I'll talk to you later though?"

"Yeah, I'll talk to you later. Bye, Y/N!"

"Bye, Nor." You switched over to Liz. "Hey, Liz, what's up?"

"Y/N, great news," Liz said. "I just got off the phone with the people over at  _ Supernatural _ , and they want to bring you back next season!"

"Oh that's awesome!" you exclaimed. "For how many episodes?"

"That's just it." You could hear the excitement in Liz's tone. "They want you full-time."

You couldn't believe your ears. "Full-time? As in--"

"As in a series regular, complete with your own apartment, your own trailer, and a large bump in pay from when you were a guest star. So, Y/N, what do you say?"

You didn't even need to think about it. "Yes, oh my god, absolutely yes I'll do it."

Liz chuckled. "That's what I thought your answer would be. I'll send you the contract right now."

"Thanks Liz. Talk to you soon."

"Bye, Y/N."

You hurried to grab your laptop, refreshing your email repeatedly until the one from Liz came through, read through the contract, digitally signed it, then sent it back to Liz.

You were elated. Besides the fact that it was steady work, you were also excited to see everyone again. 

You wanted nothing more than to FaceTime the guys immediately and tell them the news, but you knew that they were on set filming the season finale so instead you sent a text and were touched by Misha’s immediate concerned reply.

  
  


About an hour later, your phone rang with a FaceTime request.

You answered and grinned when you saw Jared, Jensen and Misha come on the screen. "Hi guys."

"Hey, Y/N," Jensen said. "What's up? Everything alright?"

"Everything is fine, great even." You grinned. "I found out today that I'm coming back to  _ Supernatural _ as a series regular starting next season!"

"Oh my God, that's great!" Jared said.

"Yes, that's wonderful news," Misha added.

Jensen grinned. "We'll definitely have to celebrate. How soon are you coming back to Vancouver?"

"I'll have to get settled into my new apartment before filming starts, so they want me up there in late June. How about we get together once you and Jared are back from Austin?"

"Perfect."

A voice sounded in the background and Jensen looked over his shoulder. "Hey, we have to get back to set but that's so damn awesome that you're coming back. Looking forward to seeing you!"

"Okay guys, see you in a few months! Bye!"

You hung up and grinned. You couldn't wait to get back to Vancouver.

* * *

Two months later, you stepped off of the plane onto Canadian territory once again.  _ I'm back. _

You pulled out your phone, sending off a quick text. 

You retrieved your luggage and went through Customs, then headed towards the exit, sending Misha another text. 

A few seconds later, your phone chimed with his response.

  


You looked up in confusion, then a bright smile bloomed on your face as you spotted Misha standing at the arrivals gate holding a sign that read  _ Nikki Sutton _ .

He was dressed casually in a light gray t-shirt with an unbuttoned navy blue button-down over it, jeans, and sneakers.  _ Geez he could wear a potato sack and still be gorgeous _ , you thought. 

You had happily accepted Misha's offer to pick you up from the airport and to help you unpack and get your apartment organized, but you had assumed he would just pick you up outside arrivals, although you had to admit you were definitely happy to see him a bit sooner. No matter how hard you had tried, your feelings for Misha had never gone away, and in fact you were pretty sure they were far beyond a crush by this point.

You wheeled your suitcases over to him. "I'm Nikki Sutton," you said, then lowered your voice to a whisper. "Cas, are Sam and Dean okay?"

Misha laughed and wrapped his arms around you in a hug. "It's good to see you, Y/N."

"You too, Misha."

He gestured towards the exit and grabbed one of your suitcases. "Shall we?"

You nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

Misha led you to a royal blue Prius and loaded your bags into the trunk. You had decided not to renew the lease on your apartment in Los Angeles and had had the rest of your personal belongings shipped to your new apartment, so they were waiting for you there. 

"Thanks again for offering to pick me up and get settled," you said. "That's really sweet of you."

"It's no problem," Misha replied. "I'm genuinely happy to help."

Soon Misha pulled into the parking lot of your apartment building. "You can just go ahead and park in my spot since I don't have a car here," you said.

You each grabbed a suitcase out of the trunk and headed inside.

"Good afternoon, name and apartment number," the doorman greeted you. 

"Yes, I'm Y/F/N Y/L/N and I'm moving into apartment 5-C," you said, showing him your identification. 

"Ah, yes, Miss Y/L/N, welcome. I'm Carl. All of your deliveries have been brought up to your apartment." He handed you your key. “If you need anything just press the buzzer near your door.”

You nodded. "Thank you, Carl. Have a wonderful day."

"You too, Miss.” He nodded towards Misha. “Sir."

“You too,” Misha replied.

Once you arrived at your floor, you walked down the hall to your apartment. "Here it is," you said, unlocking your door and letting Misha in.

You looked around. You had seen pictures of your apartment online but of course they hadn't done it justice. It was slightly bigger than your old apartment in L.A. and had come fully furnished, surprisingly to your taste.

"This is definitely an improvement over my first apartment in L.A.," you joked. "It was a 6th-floor walkup with 3 terrible roommates. I was so glad when I booked my first few gigs and was able to afford to move out."

Misha laughed. "Sounds about like my experience as well."

You reached for your suitcase. "Here, let me stash these in my bedroom and we can get started with unpacking."

All of your boxes had been neatly labeled, so you and Misha started with the boxes labeled 'kitchen'.

Misha pulled out the mug he had given you as part of your Cryptic Krampus gifts. He grinned as he handed it to you. "This one goes in the back of the cabinet never to be seen again, right?"

You laughed and set it on the counter. "Actually, that one stays next to my Keurig since it's kinda my favorite mug."

"Your favorite? Really?"

You shrugged. "Yeah, I mean it's the perfect size for my morning cup of coffee, it's hilariously sassy, and someone really awesome gave it to me, so how could it not be my favorite?"

You rummaged around in the box you were currently emptying. "And speaking of…"

You pulled your Keurig out of the box. "It's time for my afternoon cup. Want some?"

Misha laughed. "Sure."

The two of you took a quick coffee break then got back to unpacking.

Three hours later, you and Misha had unpacked the last of your boxes. "Ok, I think that's everything," you said. "Thanks so much for helping."

"It's no problem," Misha replied. "I'm glad you're back."

"Me too."

You bit your lip. "Hey, would you like to stay for dinner? I mean obviously I don't have any groceries yet, but we could probably do takeout? My treat, of course."

Misha smiled. "Yeah, sure, I'd like that."

"Great! Any preferences?"

"There's this great little casual Italian place nearby -- they serve the best manicotti and all of their pasta is made fresh daily. Not to mention their sauce -- it's also homemade and tastes amazing."

"Sounds great."

You looked up the menu online, then called and placed your order.

"It'll be about 30 minutes," you said as you hung up. "In the meantime, you want to watch a movie or something?"

Misha nodded. "Sure, that sounds great."

"Okay, you choose."

Misha pulled out your copy of  _ Monty Python and the Holy Grail _ . "How about this one? We never did get around to watching it when you were here in the fall."

You grinned. "Perfect."

You quickly got your DVD player hooked up to your TV and popped the movie in.

“Man, using coconuts because they couldn’t afford horses was a brilliant move,” you said.

“Yeah it really was. And playing up the cheesy fakeness of some of the props instead of trying to disguise them was brilliant as well.”

The two of you watched together, quoting your favorite lines and discussing various scenes.

You had gotten to the part with the Trojan Rabbit when your buzzer sounded. 

You got up to answer it. “Yes?”

“Miss Y/L/N, your take-out has arrived. Shall I send them up?”

“No, that’s okay, I’ll come down and get it,” you replied. Your neighbor back in your old apartment complex in LA had been robbed by someone posing as a delivery person and you were still skittish about letting strangers up to your apartment.

“I’ll be right back, ok?” you said to Misha.

He nodded. “That’s fine.”

You ran downstairs and accepted your order from the delivery person, thanking them again before heading back up to your apartment.

“Okay, here we go,” you said, setting everything down on your coffee table. “Just as sec, let me go get some plates and wine glasses.”

You grabbed a couple of plates and wine glasses, gave them a rinse, and carried them to your living room along with your corkscrew.

Misha had already unpacked your food containers and the bottle of wine you had also added to your order once you realized you had nothing to drink in your apartment besides water and coffee.

You handed him the corkscrew. "Want to do the honors?"

"Sure." Misha opened the wine and poured you each a glass. He handed you yours. "I know we're going to officially celebrate at Jensen's on Monday, but congratulations on the promotion to series regular and welcome back. I'm glad we're going to get to hang out again."

You smiled. "Thanks, and me too. I missed you guys a lot."

"We missed you too."

You finished the movie while you ate, laughing at the end credits. You turned to Misha. "One more?" you asked.

"Yeah, what did you have in mind?"

You grinned and headed to the shelving unit that was temporarily housing your movie collection. "How about we continue the parody theme with  _ Robin Hood: Men in Tights _ ? It's a classic."

"Yeah, ok, sure. I haven't seen that one in years."

"Great!"

You swapped the discs out and sat back next to Misha on the couch, tucking your feet underneath you so you were slightly leaning towards him.

You grinned as the opening song began. "I love the 'Men in Tights' number."

"Me too."

You must've been more jetlagged than you thought, because your eyes started getting heavy. The last thing you remembered was something soft covering you and warm lips pressed against your forehead.

You awoke several hours later covered by a blanket and to a dark and empty apartment.

You grabbed for your phone to check the time and saw a message from Misha. 

You typed back a reply. 

You were still exhausted, so you took a quick shower and changed for bed, glad that you had had the wherewithal to make your bed while you were unpacking the stuff that went in your bedroom.

You fell asleep dreaming of blue eyes and soft lips.


	4. Celebration Time, Come On!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and the guys celebrate your promotion to series regular by having dinner at Jensen's, and while you're helping Jensen straighten up afterwards, you accidentally let your secret slip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was briefly mentioned in What's In a Name.
> 
> One more chapter after this then we're into established relationship territory!
> 
> (And very possibly an E rating... Just sayin'.) ;)

"Buh-buh-buh-buh-da-da-da-dah,  _ wahoo!"  _ you sang as you sifted through your closet.

Tonight was the celebratory dinner in honor of your promotion to series regular and you were excited to get to see Jensen and Jared in person for the first time in two months. 

You had gone down to Texas for a week to visit them once filming had wrapped for the season and had gotten to meet both of their wives and also Jared’s little boy.

Jared had been right -- you had clicked almost immediately with both Genevieve and Daneel. The three of you had wound up going out for a spa day and had come back gossiping about mutual Hollywood connections and all the fun shenanigans Jensen and Jared had gotten up to on set while you were there.

At the end of the week you had hugged both Gen and Dani and promised to keep in touch while also making Gen promise to send you pictures of Tom.

You pulled a comfortable pair of jeans and a cute-but-still-casual shirt out of your closet and put them on before dancing your way into your bathroom.

You gave your hair a once-over, brushed your teeth, then did a light application of makeup before returning to your bedroom and pulling on the pair of socks with avocados on them that Misha had given you for Christmas and your favorite sneakers, grabbing your wallet and keys before heading out the door.

You stepped into the waiting cab you had called and headed to Jensen’s apartment building. 

Jensen had insisted on hosting at his apartment so you could all relax and catch up without having to worry about hogging a table at a restaurant for too long. 

You arrived and headed into the lobby, stopping by the doorman’s station.

“Name and apartment number?” the doorman asked you.

“I’m Y/F/N Y/L/N, here to see Jensen Ackles in apartment 417,” you replied.

“Ah, yes, he’s expecting you. Go right up, miss.”

“Thank you.”

You headed towards the elevator, still humming along to the tune in your head.

Once you reached Jensen’s apartment, you bounced on the balls of your feet in excitement as you rang the doorbell. You could hear footsteps approaching the door. “One second!”

You grinned as the door opened to reveal Jensen in a t-shirt and jeans, a dish towel slung over one shoulder. His face lit up. “Y/N!”

“Hey, Jen,” you replied.

“Come on in.”

You stepped inside and was immediately wrapped in a hug. “It’s good to see you,” Jensen said, stepping back.

“Good to see you too.”

“Wait, where’s my hug?” a voice spoke from your left.

You laughed, wrapping your arms around Jared as much as you could. “Hey, Jar, good to see you too.”

You nudged him in the side. “I definitely want to see any new pics of Tom you have. I can’t believe you and Gen haven’t sent me any new ones in like a week!”

Finally, you turned to Misha and gave him a quick hug. “Hey, Misha, long time no see,” you joked.

Misha laughed. “Yeah, it’s been what, a whole day and a half?”

Jensen clapped his hands together. “Alright, now that the guest of honor has arrived, let’s celebrate!”

The four of you gathered around Jensen’s dining table. He had made spaghetti bolognese and garlic toast with a salad on the side.

You all ate, drank, and chatted and after dinner, you moved into the living room where you drank some more.

You giggled as you recounted a story about the first time you were recognized as Nikki _. _ “So I’m sitting there in the salon getting my hair cut and all of a sudden the trailer for the next week’s episode of  _ Supernatural _ comes on the TV, and my stylist looks at the TV, looks at me, looks at the TV again, looks at me again, and goes, ‘excuse me, but are you Nikki?’ and I was like, ‘oh, um, yeah that’s me’ and she just proceeds to start talking about how she loved my first episode and how she was so happy to see another strong female character on TV and could she please get a photo with me when she was done with my hair because her girlfriend would be so jealous that she got to meet me. It was super surreal.”

“You’ll have to get used to it,” Jared teased. “You’re a big celebrity now.”

Jensen laughed. “The fandom is… passionate.”

“But generally a pretty awesome group of people,” Misha added. “Just wait until you start hitting the con circuit with us. It’s a lot of fun.”

You all reminisced some more and several hours later, Misha stood. “Alright, I’m calling it a night.”

Jared stood as well. “Yeah, I’m gonna head out too. I’m not used to the time change just yet.” He gave you a brief hug. “Welcome back, Y/N.”

“Thanks, Jar.”

You turned to also give Misha a hug, lingering in his arms and breathing in his intoxicating scent.  _ Mmm, he smells so nice. _ “‘Night, Mish.”

After Jared and Misha had left, you turned to Jensen. ”Mind if I help you clean up before I go?”

Jensen shook his head. “Not at all.”

You began carrying empty beer bottles to the kitchen, rinsing them out before putting them into the recycling bin.

“So, Y/N, how are things going with Patrick?” Jensen asked.

You looked at him in confusion. “Who?”

“You know, Patrick. That guy you mentioned when you were visiting us in Texas.”

You snorted. “What, you mean that guy I went on one date with and never called again because I’m too much in love with Misha to even think about the possibility of being interested in another man?” 

Your eyes widened and you slapped a hand over your mouth. “Oh shit, please forget I even said that.”

Jensen just grinned at you. “Absolutely not. Misha, huh?”

Your face heated and you turned back to the sink. “It’s not like I can help it, I mean have you  _ seen  _ him?”

You waved a hand at Jensen. “I mean, you and Jared are nice to look at too, don’t get me wrong, I have  _ eyes _ , but you guys are already like brothers to me and Misha is just… It’s different with him.” You sighed. “He’s just the perfect package. He’s hot  _ and  _ an amazing person, and is nice to like,  _ everyone _ . It’s absolutely criminal that he’s still single.”

Jensen’s eyes narrowed. “How long has this been going on?”

You grimaced. “Pretty much since I met you guys.”

You began to rinse off the dishes in the sink and hand them to Jensen to load into his dishwasher. “Why does he have to have that sexy Castiel voice, and those beautiful blue eyes, and those pillowy lips, huh Jen? Why does he have to be so unfairly attractive on top of being such an adorably sweet dork? Why do I want to kiss him senseless every time I see him? Can you tell me that?”

You shook your head. “Fuck. Sorry, I tend to lose my filter when I drink this much.”

Jensen laughed as he loaded the last of the silverware and shut the dishwasher. “It’s okay. I pretty much did the same thing to Jared when I was falling for Daneel, and also Jared to me when he was crushing on Genevieve.”

He moved to his fridge and grabbed a couple of bottles of water, handing one to you. “Here, drink this. Don’t want you too hungover tomorrow.”

“Thanks.”

Jensen took a sip of his water and gestured for you to join him at his table. “You know, Daneel and I started out as friends,” he said carefully.

You nodded. “Yeah, I’ve seen  _ Ten Inch Hero _ . You two were awesome in it.”

“Thanks, but you know that’s not my point.”

You shook your head. “Misha’s not interested in me like that. He knows what it’s like to be the new person on set and is nice to everyone anyway, so it's not like he's treating me special or anything.”

You stood. “I’m pretty tired, I think I’m gonna head out. Thanks again for the celebration. I’m glad to be back.”

Jensen grinned. “Especially since you get to see Misha again?”

You punched him lightly in the arm, your face heating once again. “Shut up.”

He laughed and gave you a quick hug. “You know you can always talk to me, right?” 

You nodded. “Thanks, Jen.”

“Text me when you get home.”

“Will do.”

You left Jensen’s apartment and caught a cab back to your apartment building. You headed upstairs and sent Jensen a text message before scrubbing off your makeup and changing into your pajamas, then heading to bed.

The next morning you woke up to a reply from Jensen.

  
  



	5. Thanksgiving in Boston

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You spend your first Thanksgiving as a series regular with Misha and his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second-to-last pre- What's in a Name chapter (for now, anyway)! Next stop, established relationship! (And earning our rating 😉)

"Man, I can't wait to get home to Texas tomorrow and see Dani and my folks," Jensen said as you, he, Jared, and Misha all sat in Jensen's trailer discussing your various Thanksgiving holiday plans while you waited for your calls to set.

"So what _does_ Thanksgiving at the Ackles's consist of?" you asked. 

"Lots of turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, and my mom's homemade cornbread dressing," Jensen said with a happy sigh. "And pie. So much pie."

You laughed. "Careful now, Jen. Your Dean is showing."

Misha turned to you. "So what about you, Y/N?" he asked. "What are your holiday plans?"

You looked down at your lap. "Oh, I uh, I don't have any."

You could feel three pairs of eyes on you. "Nothing?" Jared said. "You're not visiting family? No aunts, uncles, cousins, anything?"

The guys all knew that you were an only child and that both of your parents had passed on years before, but what they didn’t know was that your nearest blood relatives were some distant cousins that lived in Denmark and kept in touch via email so you always spent the holidays alone. It was lonely, sure, but you had gotten used to it over the years.

You shrugged at his question. "My closest relatives live in Europe and I'm actually not even that close to them, so I don’t tend to celebrate the holidays."

Jared shook his head. “So last Thanksgiving you--”

“--Stayed here and explored Vancouver,” you finished for him.

“And Christmas?” Jensen added.

You shook your head. “Ordered in Chinese food and watched _It’s a Wonderful Life_.” You definitely knew how pathetic it sounded but you didn’t want the guys to feel sorry for you. “It’s fine though, really. I’m used to it.”

Suddenly you felt a gentle touch on your arm. You looked up to see Misha quietly studying you, his head tilted in that adorable way of his that totally reminded you of Cas. 

"Come home with me," he said.

You blinked in surprise. "What?"

"Come home to Boston with me for Thanksgiving," Misha repeated.

You shook your head, your heart squeezing at the sweet gesture. "No, Mish, I couldn't impose on you or your family like that. I'll be fine, I promise. It's not a big deal."

"I would be happy to spend Thanksgiving with you and I'm sure my family would be as well. It's not an imposition, Y/N. I promise."

You bit your lip, considering the offer. "If you're absolutely sure it'll be okay…"

Misha smiled warmly, sincerity sparkling in his eyes. "I'm sure."

You nodded. "Okay then."

"Okay." 

There was a knock on Jensen's trailer door, and Stacey, one of the PAs, stuck her head in. "There you guys are. You're all needed on set."

As you walked to set, your phone buzzed in your pocket. You pulled it out to see a text message from Jensen.

You glanced over at Jensen, who was watching you with a raised eyebrow. Ever since you had accidentally confessed your feelings towards Misha to Jensen after your promotion celebration dinner at Jensen’s apartment almost 5 months prior, he had been trying to convince you that Misha felt the same. 

You rolled your eyes and sent a reply.

  
  


Jensen shook his head.

You put your phone away as you arrived at the set and took your marks. As you and Misha waited to enter the scene, Misha turned to you. "How about we meet up later and I'll tell you about my family. My place, six o'clock? I'll make dinner."

You nodded. "Sounds good."

Internally you were freaking out, however, since this would be the first time you had ever gone to Misha's apartment without the buffer of having Jensen and Jared there as well.

You managed to get through your scenes without screwing up too badly and once you wrapped for the day you headed back to your own apartment, showered, and changed into something comfortable. 

You caught a cab and headed to Misha's apartment building, nervously tapping your fingers the entire way.

You walked into the lobby and the security guard looked up from his desk. "Name and apartment number," he requested. 

"Oh um, hi," you said. "I'm Y/F/N Y/L/N and I'm here to see Misha Collins in apartment 6-B."

"ID?"

You pulled out your ID and handed it to him.

He copied down some information and handed it back to you. "One moment." He picked up the phone next to his desk and punched in a series of numbers. "Yes, Mr. Collins, I have Miss Y/F/N Y/L/N here to see you. Mmmhmm. Yes, sir. Of course. Will do, sir. You too, sir."

He hung up the phone. "Go right up, Miss Y/L/N. Elevator is on your left."

You nodded. "Thank you."

You headed up the elevator to Misha's apartment, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door, startling when the door opened immediately.

"Y/N, hi," Misha said. His feet were bare and his hair was freshly wet from the shower, and the t-shirt and jeans he wore left little to the imagination. 

_Oh, this was such a bad idea,_ you thought, fighting the urge to either throw yourself at him or turn around and bolt. "Hi."

After a moment Misha stepped aside. "Please, come in."

You stepped inside the foyer as Misha shut the door behind you.

He led you over to his couch. "Here, have a seat. Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes. Would you like something to drink? Water, juice, beer, soda… wine?"

"Wine is good." You had a tendency to lose your filter after too much -- which is how Jensen knew about your feelings for Misha -- but you figured one glass would calm your nerves without going to your head.

You watched as Misha got a couple of wine glasses out and a bottle of your favorite wine. He uncorked it and poured you each a glass, handing you yours just as the timer on his oven beeped. "Ah, that'll be dinner."

He took a pan out of the oven and you inhaled the enticing aroma of roasted chicken and vegetables. “Something smells delicious,” you said.

Misha smiled. "I had planned to make chicken parm but was running late and didn’t have time to run to the market, so I wound up just making baked chicken instead."

You shook your head. "I’m sure it’s great."

"Here, help yourself."

You moved to Misha's small kitchen table after serving yourself and took a bite. "Oh my gosh, Mish, this is amazing!" you said. "I had no idea you could cook."

He shrugged casually. "I can whip up a few basic dishes."

"Well if everything you make is as good as this is then I'm coming over for dinner every night."

Misha laughed. "Actually I do tend to eat take-out a lot but on the occasion that I _do_ have time to cook you're more than welcome to join me."

You could feel your face getting hot. _Just being nice, as usual,_ you reminded yourself. 

You took a sip of wine. “Are you absolutely sure it’s okay if I crash your family’s Thanksgiving? Won’t they find it weird that you’re bringing some random woman from work?”

He laughed. “It's just my mom and younger brother, and I’ve already spoken to them about it. Trust me, they’re thrilled that I’m bringing you." He grinned at you. “Besides, you’re not just ‘some random woman from work’, you’re one of my co-stars who’s also my friend that just happened to not have had plans for Thanksgiving this year.”

After you ate you moved back to the living area and Misha proceeded to give you the rundown on his family dynamics. His parents had divorced when he was 3 and his and his brother Sasha’s upbringing by their mother had been very unconventional. “But it shaped who I am as a person,” he eventually concluded.

You nudged him lightly. “I’ll have to thank your mom then, because I think you’re a pretty awesome person.” 

He smiled softly at you. “Thanks, Y/N. I happen to think you’re pretty awesome too.”

He pulled his laptop over to him. “I actually hadn't booked my flight yet because I had been waiting for Sasha to tell me when he’d be free that week, so maybe we can go ahead and do that now? The plan is to leave on Tuesday and come back on Saturday. It’s a pretty long flight and with the time difference it’s probably best that we leave early -- does that work for you?”

You nodded. “Yeah, that sounds fine. I’m just your guest, I’m at your mercy as to what day and time we leave.”

Misha pulled up the booking website. “Let’s see here… Here’s one that leaves Vancouver at 6:15 AM, which puts us into Boston around 4:30 PM…” He continued scrolling. “Yeah, the only other flights available won’t have us getting there until almost midnight. We can at least book a later return flight on Saturday and still get back to Vancouver at a decent hour, plus we’ll have all day Sunday to recover before we have to be back on set on Monday.”

You shrugged. “That's fine with me. We can just sleep on the plane if necessary.”

“Okay, let’s see…”

You and Misha booked your flights and he closed his laptop. “Okay, we’re all set.”

“Thank you again for inviting me to spend Thanksgiving with you and your family,” you said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve celebrated the holidays.”

“I’m glad you agreed to come,” Misha replied. “Massachusetts is beautiful in the fall.”

You shook your head. “No, I’ve never been there."

Misha took a sip of wine. "Oh, I forgot to ask -- any food allergies, aversions, etcetera that we should know about? We do the traditional Thanksgiving spread -- turkey, cornbread dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, rolls, apple cobbler, and pumpkin pie."

You shook your head. "All that sounds great."

"Ok, awesome, I'll let Mom and Sasha know."

Misha bit his lip. "So since we have to be at the airport ridiculously early on Tuesday how about you just crash here Monday night? The couch is a sleeper sofa, which Sasha assures me is very comfortable, and that way neither of us have to get up quite as early."

You nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. Okay."

“Come over around four? We can have an early dinner and maybe watch a movie, then get to sleep early since we have to be at the airport before dawn.”

“Sounds great.”

You stood. “I should probably get going so I can start packing, but I’ll see you Monday?”

Misha stood as well. “Yeah, see you Monday.”

You gave Misha a brief hug before leaving his apartment, excited to celebrate your first proper Thanksgiving in years.

* * *

Monday morning you were packing your overnight bag when your phone rang. You brow furrowed at the caller ID. “Mish? What’s up?”

“Hey, Y/N. I was thinking about heading to the market in a bit to get some ingredients for dinner and was wondering if you wanted to go with me? You can come early and drop your things off and we can go after you get here.”

“Yeah, that sounds great. Give me like 30 minutes?” 

“Sounds great. See you soon.”

You hung up and finished packing, double-checked that all of your appliances were off, and locked up your apartment before heading to Misha’s.

You grabbed your suitcase and overnight bag from the taxi and headed to the lobby. “Name and apartment number,” the doorman, who was a different one than the one who had greeted you three days prior, said.

“Y/F/N Y/L/N, here to see Misha Collins, apartment 6-B,” you replied, handing over your ID.

He glanced at your ID and at a sheet of paper on his desk. “Go right up, miss,” he said.

You were surprised that he didn’t have to call Misha to announce you but decided that maybe Misha had notified him that he was expecting company. “Thank you,” you said, and wheeled your bags over to the elevator.

You got off at Misha’s floor and headed over to his door, giving a brief knock.

The door swung open. “Hey, Y/N,” Misha said, moving aside to let you in. 

“Hey, Mish. How’s it going?” you replied.

He reached for your suitcase. “Here, come on in.”

You walked in as Misha moved your suitcase next to his in the foyer. “Are you ready to head out?” you asked.

“Yeah, sure.”

Misha grabbed his keys and you two headed down to the lobby.

“So do you have a list for the market?” you asked as you two walked down the street.

“I was thinking I could go ahead and make the chicken parm that I had planned for the other day so I have a list for the fresh ingredients for that, but I also kind of figured we could just kind of browse and get salad ingredients or whatever veggies look interesting and just kind of whip something up for a side.”

You grinned. “Sounds fun.”

When you arrived at the market Misha grabbed a shopping cart and you headed inside. 

You grabbed some chicken then headed to the fresh fruits and vegetables. Misha grabbed a head of garlic, an onion, and a few tomatoes along with some fresh herbs. 

You picked up a head of cauliflower. "How about roasted cauliflower to go with it?"

"That sounds great," Misha replied.

You headed to the dairy aisle next for some shredded parmesan, and finally to hunt down some fresh pasta in the cooler before heading to the checkout.

You popped into the wine store next door while Misha was checking out and picked up a bottle of wine to go with dinner.

You and Misha walked back to his apartment and set the ingredients on the kitchen island. 

"So what do you need me to do?" you asked as you moved to the sink to wash your hands.

Misha shook his head. "Oh no, you're a guest, you don't have to do anything."

"No, I'd like to help if I can," you insisted.

"Well then, if you can get the chicken prepped while I get the sauce going I'd appreciate it."

You worked side-by-side to prepare dinner, moving seamlessly around each other as if you’d been cooking together for years instead of for the first time.

"Alright," Misha said as he slid the chicken into the oven to finish off along with the pan of cauliflower, "as soon as this is done we can eat."

You were busying yourself with tidying up. "It smells great already."

"Here, I'll finish this if you want to go pick out something for us to watch."

You nodded and moved into the living room, scanning Misha’s DVD collection.

Your eyes zeroed in on _Clue_ . "Hey, how about this one?" you called to him. " _Clue_."

"Yeah, that sounds great," Misha replied, wiping his hands and joining you in the living room.

He put the movie into his DVD player and hit play as you two settled on the couch, briefly pausing the film when the oven timer signaled that dinner was ready.

"Oh my gosh, this is amazing," you said after you took a bite of chicken parmesan. "I reiterate what I said the other night -- you can cook for me any time."

Misha laughed. "I'd be happy to."

After dinner you cleaned up the rest of the dishes and sat back down on the couch together. 

“So anything else I need to know about your mom or brother?” you asked.

Misha shook his head. “No, that’s pretty much everything.”

You glanced down. "I really do appreciate the invite. I know it's a huge inconvenience for me to be tagging along, but--"

You cut yourself off and looked back up as Misha took your hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You could never be an inconvenience, Y/N."

Your heart fluttered at both the brief contact and at Misha's statement.

You swallowed and withdrew your hand. "I should probably get ready for bed since we have to get up so early.”

“Oh, yeah. Me too.” Misha stood. “Here, let me get the sofa bed ready for you.”

He walked over to a closet in the foyer and grabbed a set of sheets, a pillow and a blanket from the closet.

Together you got the sofa bed made. “Ok, you’re all set,” Misha said. “So if you don’t need anything else…” Misha paused. 

You shook your head.

“Okay then. Good night, Y/N.” Misha turned to head to his bedroom.

“Actually, wait,” you called out.

Misha turned back around. “Yeah?”

You bit your lip. “I just wanted to say thank you.” _For dinner. For the Thanksgiving invite. For picking me up at the airport and helping me unpack and organize everything in my apartment. For my Krampus gifts. For making me feel welcome that first day. For telling me I’m not an inconvenience. For opening up to me. For your friendship. For just being you._ The words were unspoken but you hoped you conveyed them just the same. 

He must have gotten the message because Misha’s arms circled around you and pulled you into a tight hug. “You’re welcome.”

You gave him one last squeeze and stepped back. “I'll see you in the morning, then?"

Misha smiled softly at you. “Yeah, see you in the morning.”

* * *

“God, it’s so fucking early,” Misha yawned as he shuffled into his kitchen, where you were seated at the kitchen table drinking your second cup of coffee.

You took in his sleep-mussed hair, rumpled t-shirt, sweatpants, and bare feet. _Jesus frickin Christ, it’s unfair how hot he is._ “Good morning to you too, sunshine,” you replied with a grin. “Hope you don’t mind, but I made coffee.”

Misha headed over towards his coffee pot. “You’re an angel.” 

You tilted your head with a smirk. “Actually, I believe that’s _you_ unless you know something about Nikki that I don’t.”

“Ha, ha.” Misha shot you a grin as he took a sip. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Oh yeah, I slept great actually, thanks. Your brother is right -- the sofa bed is indeed very comfortable.”

Misha chuckled. "I’m glad. Breakfast?"

"Up to you, honestly. I'm good just grabbing something at the airport."

"Okay, that's fine."

You finished your coffee and stood. "I'm gonna go finish getting ready. Meet you back in here?"

"'Kay."

You headed to the guest bathroom and finished your morning routine before packing up your belongings.

Misha wasn't back out yet by the time you returned to the living room, so you sat on the sofa and pulled out your phone.

You checked your email and made sure that Liz hadn't sent you anything pressing and responded to an email from your cousins in Denmark.

A few minutes later Misha returned. "Okay, all set. Ready to go?"

You nodded and stood. "Yep."

Once you had arrived at the airport, checked your luggage, and gone through security, the two of you headed to one of the cafes and grabbed some breakfast before making your way to the boarding area.

The two of you ate and talked quietly while you waited for your flight to board. 

Once on the plane, you grabbed your e-reader out of your carry-on bag before accepting Misha’s offer to put it in the overhead bin and taking your seat.

Misha nodded over at your e-reader. “So whatcha reading?”

“Actually, it’s next week’s script,” you said with a chuckle. “I got Andrew to send me the next couple of scripts in PDF format so I could study my lines without carrying my physical copies with me.”

“That’s a really good idea.” Misha stretched. "I think I'm gonna try to get a nap in before our layover in St. Paul."

You nodded. "Okay."

Misha settled in and you turned your attention to your scripts.

A couple of hours later you felt like you had your lines sufficiently memorized and switched your e-reader off. 

You glanced over at Misha. _He's so peaceful when he's sleeping,_ you thought.

You turned to the window to watch the landscape below for a few minutes until you felt Misha stir.

He blinked sleepily at you and a slow smile spread across his face. "Hi."

You smiled back. "Hi."

"How long was I out?"

"We have about 15 minutes until we land in St. Paul."

"Oh okay, good."

"Nice nap?"

"Mmmhmm."

Soon the plane landed for your layover. "I'm glad our layover is an hour," you said as you and Misha deplaned and headed towards the gate for your connecting flight. "One time my agent booked me for a flight from Miami to L.A. and accidentally booked one with a 20-minute layover in Dallas. I had to run to make my connecting flight and almost missed the final boarding call."

"Well we should have plenty of time here," Misha replied. "Enough to grab a bite for lunch, even."

"Sounds great."

The two of you grabbed a quick bite and boarded your connecting flight to Boston.

"Did you want to nap?" Misha asked. "I'll wake you if you're still asleep by the time we arrive."

You nodded. "Yeah, if you could wake me like 20 minutes out that'd be great. Thanks."

You settled down and quickly fell asleep.

You awoke a couple of hours later. _Mmm, comfy pillow,_ you thought, snuggling further into it… until it started to laugh.

You opened your eyes and leaned back. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Mish. I didn't mean to use you as a pillow."

Misha shrugged. "It's totally fine. I don't mind."

"What time is it?"

Misha checked his phone. "I think we still have about a half-hour to Boston."

"Mmkay."

Misha nudged you gently. "So I told you about my childhood, tell me about yours. How did little Y/N like to spend her time?"

“Well, ever since I was a kid I wanted to be an actress.”

Misha grinned. “You don’t say.”

You nodded with a light laugh. “Yeah, I was always putting on shows for my family and friends…”

You spent the rest of the flight regaling Misha with tales of your childhood.

"...And after my parents passed I didn't really have anything still tying me to (your hometown) so I decided to quit college and move out to L.A., try my hand at acting as a profession," you concluded. "And now here I am."

"Now here you are." Misha echoed, then smiled. “I’m happy you’re here, Y/N.”

You bit your lip. “I am too.”

There was a crackle from overhead and you turned your attention to the front of the plane.

“ _Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking,”_ a voice over the intercom said. _“We are beginning to make our descent. The time is 4:26 PM and the temperature is 52 degrees. On behalf of myself and the rest of the crew thank you for flying Delta and welcome to Boston, Massachusetts.”_

The plane made its descent into Boston and you and Misha claimed your luggage then headed towards customs, breezing through since neither of you had brought anything of value from Canada.

Misha pulled out his phone. “Here, let me get us an Uber.”

A few minutes later, your ride pulled up.

You put your bags into the trunk and climbed in.

“Hi, how are you folks doing?” your Uber driver said. “I see we’re headed to Somerville.”

“We’re fine, thanks, and yes,” Misha replied.

“So where are you from?”

“We live in Vancouver, but I’m actually from Boston,” Misha replied. “Visiting family for the holidays.”

“Well, welcome home.”

“Thank you.”

You looked out the window at the scenery. Despite Misha’s reassurances, you were still nervous about crashing his family’s Thanksgiving.

You felt him squeeze your hand reassuringly. “You okay?” he asked as you looked over at him. “You’re quiet.”

“Still a bit nervous,” you admitted. “It’s been a really long time since I’ve celebrated the holidays.”

“It’ll be fine, I promise. Mom and Sasha are going to love you. Just be yourself.”

A few minutes later, you pulled up to a two-story, colonial-style home in a quiet neighborhood. 

“Alrighty, we’re here,” your driver said. “You two enjoy your Thanksgiving.”

“Thanks,” you replied.

“You too,” Misha added.

You stepped out of the car and sucked in a deep breath at your first view of Misha’s brother’s house. “Wow, this is absolutely beautiful,” you said, momentarily forgetting your nervousness.

Misha stepped around to your side of the car, wheeling your suitcase over to you. “Yeah, it is,” he agreed. 

You took your suitcase, followed Misha up the steps, and waited while he knocked on the door, then let himself in. “Sash?” he called out as you followed him in. “We're here!” 

A near-clone of himself appeared from a room to the left of the foyer -- presumably the kitchen, based on what you could see of it. 

You hung back as they hugged.

Misha stepped over to you and placed a gentle hand on your back. “Sash, this is Y/N. Y/N, my younger brother, Sasha.”

You shook Sasha’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too,” Sasha replied. “Misha's told me a lot about you.”

You looked over at Misha curiously. 

He grinned then winked at you. “Oh don’t worry, it was all bad.”

You laughed. “Oh lord, I hope not.”

Misha turned back to Sasha. “So where's Mom?”

“I’m coming,” you heard his mother say as she walked out of the kitchen and wiped her hands on a dishtowel. “Misha, honey, so good to see you.”

“Hi, Mom,” Misha replied.

You waited as Misha hugged his mom and were surprised when she also pulled you into a hug. “You must be Y/N.”

“Yes, ma’am,” was your surprised reply. “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Tippins.”

She waved a hand at you. “Oh, Y/N, not so formal. It's Rebecca.”

You nodded. “Rebecca, of course.”

“Here, let's get you two settled in,” Sasha said. “Then we can all sit and chat.”

He led you and Misha up the stairs. “Here’s the bathroom,” Sasha said, pointing to a door right off of the stairway. "My room is this one, Misha, you’re in your usual room here, and Y/N, you’ll be in here,” he said, opening the door to a small but quaint bedroom adjacent to Misha’s.

The room, as did the rest of the house, definitely had a masculine touch but still managed to not scream ‘bachelor pad’. “This is lovely,” you said.

“I’ll leave you two to get unpacked. Just come on downstairs when you get ready.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

You placed your suitcase on the chest that was in front of the four-poster bed and began to unpack, hanging your clothes in the closet and placing your pajamas and underthings into the dresser. You had just finished unpacking and was putting your suitcase away when there was a soft knock on your door. 

“Come in,” you called out.

Misha stuck his head in. “Hey, just checking to see how you're doing.”

You smiled. “I'm great, thanks.” 

“Ready to head back down?” 

You nodded and followed him back downstairs to the living room. Rebecca was sitting in an armchair holding a glass of wine and Sasha was lounging on the sofa with a tumbler of what appeared to be whiskey in hand. Upon seeing you and Misha enter Sasha moved to the other armchair, freeing up the couch for you and Misha to sit together.

“Hey, guys,” Sasha said. “Get settled in okay?”

You nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”

“Would you like a drink?” Sasha set his own drink down on a coaster that was sitting on a custom-built coffee table. 

‘Yeah, sure,” Misha replied before turning to you. “Y/N? Wine?”

You nodded before looking up at Sasha. “Sure. Thank you.”

“Ok, be right back.”

“Misha, I'm so glad you're home,” Rebecca said as Sasha left for the kitchen. “It's been too long.”

Misha nodded. “Filming's been hectic, plus promotional stuff like convention appearances has picked up with the new season. I'll try to visit more during the summer though.”

Rebecca's attention turned to you. “So, Y/N, Misha tells me that you and he are friends?”

You nodded, slightly nervous at the older woman’s attention. “Yes, ma'am. We work together on Supernatural.”

Rebecca nodded in recognition. “Yes, yes, you play the lady hunter, Nikki. I do enjoy your role. Too many men on that show.”

You laughed. “Yes, it is quite the testosterone fest a lot of the time, but the guys have all been good about making me feel welcome and including me in things, especially Misha.” Your eyes flicked over to him. “My first day when I was still a guest star he walked me to set, and on the way he noticed that I was cold, so he offered Castiel’s trench coat to me to keep me warm on the way.”

Rebecca smiled proudly. “My son is a good man.”

You nodded in agreement. “He really is. He's been a good friend. I'm really lucky to know him.”

The conversation paused as Sasha came back with two glasses of wine, handing one of the glasses to you and the other to Misha.

Your eyebrows raised as you took a sip, recognizing the flavor of your favorite wine.

Misha grinned. “I asked Sasha to stock a few bottles.”

“Aww, thanks, Mish,” you replied. “You didn’t have to do that. I could’ve picked some up at the store some time this week.”

“It was no problem,” Sasha insisted.

You all moved into the dining room for dinner, then back to the living room to talk some more. 

You spent the next several hours watching Misha catch up with his mother and brother, chiming in when asked a question about your own life.

“So Misha tells us that you have no close family?” Sasha said.

You shook your head. “No, my parents passed away in an accident when I was 19 and I don't have any siblings or other close relatives, so I really appreciate being able to spend Thanksgiving here with all of you.”

“We're happy to have you here with us,” Rebecca insisted. “Misha speaks very highly of you.”

You smiled at Misha. “I'm happy to be here.”

The conversation soon wrapped for the evening and you and Misha had headed upstairs to get ready for bed. You tried to offer to help straighten up after dinner but Rebecca shooed you off. “You've had a long day of travel,” she said. “Tomorrow you can help, but for tonight, you're a guest.”

When you reached your respective bedroom doors, you and Misha both lingered outside of them.

You tilted your head. Something had been bugging you ever since you had arrived at Sasha’s house and it was going to continue to drive you nuts until you figured it out. “This is going to sound crazy,” you began, “but Sasha reminds me of someone. I mean, _you_ , obviously, because you two could almost pass for twins, but there's something else about him I can't place my finger on.”

Misha shook his head with a grin. “I think I know what you're talking about. It's Castiel. I based part of my performance on Sasha, Cas's mannerisms and so forth.”

You snapped your fingers. “Yes, that's it! I knew it was you but couldn't quite figure out that it was you as Cas.”

Misha shuffled his feet nervously. “So uh, do you feel any better about coming to Thanksgiving with me?” 

You ducked your head and nodded. “Yeah. You've all made me feel so welcome.”

“I told you there was nothing to worry about. I knew Mom and Sasha both would adore you.” Misha smiled softly at you. “Well, good night, Y/N.”

“‘Night, Misha.”

You entered your room and got ready for bed. You tossed and turned for about half an hour, then decided to head downstairs for some water. You paused on the stairs when you heard Misha and Sasha talking in the kitchen. 

“-- dating Y/N,” Sasha was saying.

“What? No. Y/N and I are just friends, Sash. That’s it,” Misha replied. “That’s all that’s between us. Friendship. Very _close_ friendship, but _just_ friendship.”

You could hear him scoff in what you assumed was disbelief. “Trust me, there is absolutely _zero_ romantic connection there.”

You abruptly turned and walked back up to your room. Even though it was true -- you and Misha weren't anything more than friends and you had even said so yourself -- you had thought at times that there had been something sparking between the two of you, that maybe he felt the same way about you that you felt about him... but obviously you had been wrong. 

You mentally chastised yourself. _Enough of the pity party_. Clearly Misha didn’t return your feelings. The realization hurt, sure, but you would rather be just friends with him than nothing.

You continued to toss and turn until you finally fell asleep, emotionally and mentally exhausted.

* * *

The next morning you woke up and checked your phone for the time. 

_10:03 AM_

“Shit!” You leapt out of bed and hurried to make yourself presentable. “Shit, shit, _shit._ ”

You hurried downstairs and skidded to a stop, nearly running straight into Sasha. “Woah, where’s the fire?” he said, steadying you.

“I am _so_ sorry for sleeping so late,” you apologized.

Sasha chuckled. “What? Oh, no, it’s totally fine. I'm pretty sure Misha's still asleep. He's always jetlagged the day after he flies in from Vancouver, which is why the day after he arrives is always brunch day.” 

Your brow wrinkled in confusion. "Brunch day?"

"Misha didn't tell you about brunch day?"

You shook your head.

"Oh, you're in for a treat then." Sasha turned towards the kitchen. “Can I interest you in a cup of coffee while we wait for Misha to get up?”

You let out a huff of breath. “I would absolutely _love_ some.”

You followed Sasha into the kitchen. “In Misha’s defense though, he did throw a lot of information at me in a very short amount of time, so it's very possible that he _did_ mention it and it just slipped my mind.”

Sasha nodded and gestured over to the coffee pot. “Help yourself. Cream and sugar are right here if you need it.”

You fixed yourself a cup of coffee and sat next to Sasha at the kitchen island.

“So Misha said you joined the _Supernatural_ cast last year?” Sasha asked.

You nodded. “Yeah, I was originally hired to play Nikki for two episodes but they extended it to four, and apparently the audience liked me so they hired me as a series regular this season.” You tilted your head. “You watch the show?”

Sasha grinned. “Yeah, I like to watch it then make fun of Misha’s Castiel voice like the wonderful, supportive younger brother that I am.”

You laughed. “Oh my gosh, Misha's Cas voice is so different from his real voice. I watched a few of his episodes while I was preparing for my audition and hadn’t seen him in anything else or watched any interviews with him or anything, so the first time I met him in person I was so thrown by his real voice. But he’s a wonderful actor. It’s been really nice working with him.”

Sasha looked over at you then bit his lip. “Look, I’m going to be honest with you. I know you overheard me and Misha talking last night. I saw your reflection in the mirror in the foyer.”

You winced. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, honestly. I was just coming downstairs for some water.”

Sasha nodded. “No, I know. It’s okay.”

“Misha didn’t know I was there, did he?”

Sasha shook his head. “No, he didn’t see you.”

“Ok, good. Please don’t tell him I overheard you guys.”

"I won't, I promise." He ran a hand through his hair. "Look, Y/N--"

"It's fine, Sasha. Misha's right. We're just friends. Good friends. No romantic connection.” You weren't sure who you were trying to convince -- Sasha or yourself.

Sasha sighed. “I don't know what all Misha's told you about our childhood..." he trailed off.

You took a sip of your coffee before responding. "I'm sure he hasn't told me everything, but before we came out to Boston he did tell me about the struggles you and he went through when you two were growing up. I know it couldn't have been easy."

"It wasn't."

"I'm sorry. I can’t even imagine."

Sasha shook his head. “Anyway, because of the way we grew up it takes Misha a while to learn to trust people, which is why I have to admit that I was surprised when he said that he was bringing a friend home for Thanksgiving -- until he said it was you. He really does talk about you a lot, you know. For the past year it’s been ‘Y/N this’, and ‘Y/N that’, and ‘Y/N and I went to the market the other day…’” He chuckled. “He was so excited when he heard that you were coming back to _Supernatural_.”

He looked over at you. “I guess what I'm saying is that I don't think I've ever seen my brother as happy as he’s been this week -- actually now that I think about it, more like ever since he met you. You’re important to him.”

“Thanks, Sasha. He’s important to me too.” 

Sasha smiled softly. “I can tell.”

The two of you chatted a bit more, pausing your conversation as Misha shuffled into the kitchen. “Morning Sash, Y/N,” he said with a yawn.

“Morning, Mish,” you replied.

“Morning.” Sasha took a sip of coffee. “So you didn’t tell Y/N about brunch day, huh?”

Misha froze and turned to you with a guilty look. “Oops. I don't think I did.”

You raised a playful eyebrow at him. “Thanks for that, by the way.”

“Sorry. How early were you up?”

“7 o'clock,” you replied.

Misha winced.

You shook your head. “ _Vancouver_ time.”

Sasha chuckled. “She nearly ran me over thinking she had slept in late.”

“But don’t worry, Sasha’s been keeping me entertained with _all_ sorts of stories about when you two were kids while we've been waiting for you to wake up,” you said with a sly grin. “Interesting ones, lots of good blackmail material."

In truth, Sasha had just asked about how much you liked being on _Supernatural_ versus other roles you had done, but you had decided to torture Misha a bit.

You burst out laughing at the look of alarm on Misha’s face. “I’m totally kidding. We’ve been talking about the show and various other characters I’ve played.” You smirked. “Although now that I’m seeing how panicked you are maybe he _should_ tell me some embarrassing childhood stories _._ ”

You got up from your stool and moved over to the coffee pot, pouring one for Misha and a second cup for yourself, fixing it to your liking.

You handed his cup to him. “But because I’m such a good friend I’m going to let you keep your secrets… for now.”

You took a sip of your coffee. “Okay, so can someone finally tell me... what exactly _is_ brunch day?”

* * *

It turned out that brunch day was exactly like it sounded -- because Misha was almost always guaranteed to be jetlagged and sleep in the day after he traveled from Vancouver to Boston (and also because he usually flew in on a Saturday) the next day breakfast and lunch was all rolled into one meal. There were eggs, French toast, bacon, ham, waffles, fresh fruit, veggies, cheese, and oven-roasted potatoes.

“So, Y/N, have you ever been to Boston?” Sasha asked during brunch.

You shook your head. “This is my first time.”

“You should get Misha to give you a tour,” Rebecca said. “Boston is beautiful in the fall.”

“Maybe we can do that on Friday,” Misha added before turning to you. “We could make a day of it, if you want.”

You nodded. “I’d love to.”

Misha grinned. “Great.”

After brunch, you offered to help Rebecca bake pies for Thanksgiving dessert while Misha and Sasha went out to Sasha’s garage/ workshop/ makeshift yoga studio to work on a table that Misha was building.

You had been pleasantly surprised to learn that Misha had made most of the furniture in Sasha’s house, including the coffee table you had been admiring the evening before.

You shook your head as you mixed together the ingredients for a pumpkin pie while Rebecca worked on the apple cobbler. “I had no idea Misha was into carpentry. That’s amazing.”

“He’s always been good with his hands,” Rebecca replied. 

You glanced at the doorway, making sure that Misha hadn’t come inside and you just hadn’t heard him. “I wanted to tell you while he wasn’t in here… you’ve raised a really wonderful son. He’s so kind and compassionate towards others -- not everyone would invite their co-worker to their family’s home for Thanksgiving.”

Rebecca smiled. “Thank you. And it’s a delight having you here with us. Misha’s talked about you several times so it’s nice to finally have met you, and you’re just as wonderful as he’s described.”

It was your turn to smile. “Thank you.”

After the pie and cobbler were in the oven, Rebecca turned to you. “Why don’t you go join Misha and Sasha? I’ve got things handled in here.”

You nodded. “Okay.”

You headed out to the garage. “Hey guys.”

“Hey, Y/N, what’s up?” Misha asked.

“Dessert’s in the oven and your mom said she has it handled,” you replied, “So I wanted to see if you wanted to take a quick walk before dinner tonight.”

“Yeah, that sounds great,” Misha said. "Let me just go grab my jacket."

“Sasha? You want to join us?”

Sasha shook his head. “You two go ahead. I think I’m gonna go see what Mom has planned for dinner.”

A few minutes later Misha came back out and the two of you set off.

“This is such a beautiful neighborhood," you remarked as you passed historic home after historic home. 

Misha grinned. "If you like it here, you’re really going to love seeing Boston on Friday."

“I can’t wait.” 

You both were silent for a moment, then resumed speaking at the same time.

“Hey, listen, I--”

“I was wondering if you--”

You both let out a huff of laughter. “Go ahead,” Misha said.

You cleared your throat. “I know Thanksgiving isn’t until tomorrow, but I just wanted to tell you that I’m really grateful for your friendship. It means a lot to me.”

Misha smiled softly at you. “Yours means a lot to me too, Y/N.”

You bit your lip. “So you were wondering…?” you prompted.

Misha glanced at a car that was passing down the street. “I was wondering, uh... if you would like to, uh… help me with Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow?”

You had felt like he had been about to say something else so you were surprised by his question. “Oh. Okay.”

“Sasha usually buys all of the ingredients and Mom takes care of dessert as you saw, but I’m the one who handles most of the actual cooking,” Misha explained. “You and I worked so well together making dinner the other night that I just thought you might like to help.”

“No- I mean, yeah, uh, sure. I’d love to.”

“Great, thanks.”

“No problem.”

You walked in silence after that and made your way through the neighborhood and back to Sasha's.

"Hey, how was your walk?" Sasha asked as you and Misha re-entered the house.

"It was nice," you replied. "I love all the old architecture."

Sasha nodded. "Yeah, most of the houses here date back to colonial times, if I'm not mistaken."

Rebecca popped her head into the foyer. “Ah, Misha, Y/N, good. You’re just in time for dinner.”

You saw a look pass between Misha and Sasha and Misha minutely shake his head, but quickly dismissed it as a silent discussion between siblings as you headed into the kitchen for dinner.

Dinner was a simple affair, and afterwards you decided to retire to bed early. “I think I’m still a bit jetlagged,” you explained.

You turned to Misha. “What time are we cooking tomorrow?”

“We usually eat around 1 on Thanksgiving, so I was thinking be in the kitchen for 8?”

“Ok, will do. Good night, everyone.”

“Good night,” Sasha and Rebecca said.

“‘Night, Y/N,” Misha echoed.

* * *

You woke up Thanksgiving morning feeling refreshed and ready to cook a turkey.

You walked into the kitchen where Misha was already gathering ingredients. “Morning, Y/N,” he said, walking over to you and handing you a cup of coffee already fixed to your liking.

“Morning, Mish,” you replied, taking a sip. “Mmm, this is so good.”

“Sleep well?”

You nodded. “Yeah, I’m feeling much more awake today than I was yesterday.”

You took another sip and set your mug down. “Ok, put me to work.”

Together you and Misha made the sweet potato casserole, cornbread stuffing, and cranberry sauce, and two hours later you had just put the turkey in the oven.

Misha checked the time. “Turkey should be ready right before 1.”

You began cleaning up when your phone rang. “Hey, it’s Jensen,” you said before swiping to answer. “Hello?”

“Hey, Y/N, happy Thanksgiving!” Jensen replied.

“Happy Thanksgiving, Jen.”

“You busy?”

“No, Misha and I are cooking Thanksgiving dinner but we just got the turkey in the oven. What’s up?”

“How’re you enjoying Boston?”

You glanced over at Misha. “It’s been really great so far. Misha’s mom and brother have been really welcoming.”

“That’s great. Anyway, Dani and I wanted to see if you two could Facetime for a minute.”

“Yeah, I think that’d be fine. Hang on a sec.”

You turned to Misha. “Jensen wants to Facetime with both of us.”

Misha wiped his hands on a dish towel and came to stand next to you. “Yeah, ok.”

“Yeah, we can Facetime,” you said to Jensen.

“Ok, great.”

Your phone beeped with a FaceTime request and you swiped to switch over.

You grinned as Jensen and Daneel’s faces filled the screen. “Hey, happy Thanksgiving, Dani!” you said.

“Happy Thanksgiving, Y/N,” she replied with a smile.

“How’s it going, guys?” Misha asked.

“Going great,” Jensen replied. “We just wanted to let you guys know that we have something to be extra thankful for this year.”

Jensen and Daneel looked at each other, then back at the camera. “We’re expecting!” they said together, Jensen cradling Daneel’s stomach carefully.

“Oh my god, congratulations!” you said. “That’s so wonderful.”

“Congrats, you two,” Misha added.

“How far along are you, Dani?” you asked. “You been feeling okay?”

“About three months,” she answered. “And yeah, not too bad.”

“Aww, I’m so happy for you two.”

“We gotta run, the rest of the family’s about to get here so we can start cooking, but we just wanted to tell you both the news,” Jensen chimed in.

“Ok, we’ll see you back in Vancouver on Monday, and congrats again! Love to you both.”

“Bye, guys,” Misha added.

“Aww, that’s such great news,” Misha said as you hung up. "I'm so happy for them."

You nodded. “Yeah, me too. Babies are so cute.”

Misha cleared his throat. "You ever think about having kids of your own one day?"

You nodded. "Yeah, I'd love to have a family eventually… with the right person, of course. What about you?"

Misha shrugged, glancing at the timer on the oven. "Yeah, eventually… with the right person too, of course. I wouldn’t want my kids to have to go through what I did as a child."

The two of you stood in silence for a few moments, each lost in your own thoughts.

“Um, we should… finish cleaning up,” you said eventually.

“Right, yes, of course,” Misha agreed, moving to walk past you to go to the sink. 

You put a hand on his arm to stop him. “Wait, Mish…”

Misha stopped and looked at you.

You bit your lip. “For what it’s worth... I think you’ll make a great dad one day.”

Misha smiled. “Thanks, Y/N. I think you’ll make a great mom one day too.”

“Thanks.”

The two of you finished cleaning up and joined Sasha and Rebecca in the living room where they were watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. You set your alarm for every 45 minutes for the next hour and a half so you could remember to go baste the turkey as you and Misha sat down.

After your alarm went off the second time, Misha got up and waved you back down. “I got it this time, it’s fine. I want to grab something to drink anyway.”

You nodded. “Okay then.”

“Anyone want anything?”

“I’ll take some water, if you don’t mind,” you replied.

Misha nodded. “Mom, Sash?”

Rebecca and Sasha shook their heads.

“Okay, be right back.”

Misha returned a few minutes later and handed you a glass of water.

“Thanks,” you replied, taking a sip. “How’s the turkey looking?”

“Looks great,” Misha replied. “And with your help everything was done early, so we’ll be eating half an hour ahead of schedule. Just gotta warm the pie and cobbler up and let the turkey rest.”

“Great.”

Exactly 30 minutes later, you were sitting down to your first real Thanksgiving meal since your parents had passed away. “I would say everything looks great, but since I help make it, that seems a bit braggy,” you quipped.

“Well I _did_ help make everything and I still say that,” Misha replied with a grin.

You grinned back. “Well, we _do_ make a good team.”

“That we do.”

Sasha cleared his throat. “Ok, well, let’s eat!”

After lunch, everyone headed to their rooms for a post-turkey nap, then came back down for dinner -- which of course, consisted of leftovers since you and Misha had made enough to feed a small army -- then you and Misha decided to go out on the back patio and enjoy a warm fire in the fire pit he and Sasha had built.

You looked out at the nighttime Boston skyline. “It’s so beautiful.”

“Yes, it is,” Misha replied.

You glanced over at him. Instead of looking at the sky, he was looking at the ground.“You okay?” you asked.

He looked back over at you. “Yeah, yeah. Fine. Just thinking about where I want to take you tomorrow,” he replied. “There’s a lot to see in Boston and we only have the one day to do it, so we won’t have time to do everything that I’d like.”

“Oh, well that’s okay, I don’t mind just seeing the highlight reel,” you joked.

“I’ll just have to pick a few sights in Boston that I think would be the coolest. I’m thinking we should probably walk the Freedom Trail, that way we’ll hit the most sights in the limited amount of time that we have.”

“Sounds good to me.” You stood and stretched. “I’m gonna head to bed, but I’ll see you in the morning?”

Misha nodded. “‘Night, Y/N.”

“‘Night, Mish.”

* * *

Early the next morning, you and Misha took a cab into Boston and walked around the city, following the Freedom Trail and passing by several historical monuments, including Paul Revere's house, the site of the Boston Massacre, and Faneuil Hall. You had stopped for lunch at a casual burger place that Misha had recommended before continuing on your journey.

"...And this is the Old North Church," Misha said as you stopped in front of yet another historic building. "This is where the lanterns were hung that signaled the start of the American Revolution."

"Ah, yes, 'one if by land, two if by sea'," you replied.

Misha nodded. "Yes, exactly."

He checked his phone for the time. "Okay, we have time for one more stop before we need to be getting back, but I think I saved the best for last."

You walked a few blocks and stopped in front of a pastry shop. "You haven't been to Boston until you've tried a cannoli from Mike's," Misha explained, opening the door and guiding you inside.

"Hi, welcome to Mike's, what can I get for you folks?" the woman behind the counter asked.

"Hi, yes, can we get two chocolate chip cannoli, two espresso cannoli, a limoncello cannoli, a plain cannoli, two almond biscotti, and two cups of coffee, to go please?" Misha asked.

"Yes, of course."

Misha paid for your order and you headed to the end of the counter to fix your coffee to your liking before following him to a small table outside the shop.

Misha handed you the espresso cannoli. "Cheers," he said with a wink before taking a bite of his.

You took a bite. "Oh my gosh," you mumbled around a mouth full of rich cream and flaky pastry. "So good."

Misha nodded. "I always have to stop at Mike's when I'm visiting home."

"I can see why. This is heavenly."

You sighed and took in the sight of busy Bostonians winding down after a long day of Black Friday shopping. "I guess it's back to reality tomorrow, huh?"

Misha nodded. "Yeah, I guess it is."

You reached out and gave his hand a brief squeeze. "I've had a really nice time this week. Your mom and brother are pretty great and it was really nice to get to spend more time with you outside of work."

Misha smiled. “Yeah, me too. It’s been nice getting to appreciate my hometown through a tourist’s eyes.”

The two of you finished your cannoli and threw away your coffee cups before grabbing the box of pastries and catching a cab back to Sasha's.

Later that evening, you, Misha, and Sasha were sitting in the living room watching TV when your phone rang. 

You glanced at it. “Sorry, I need to take this, it’s my agent,” you said.

You walked into the kitchen. “Liz, what’s up?”

“Y/N, I really hate to interrupt your vacation, but some pictures were posted online of you and Misha together and of course it’s sparking fan speculation about your relationship with him.” 

“Wait, what? What pictures?”

“Here, I’m sending them to you.”

You poked your head back into the living room. “Sasha, can I borrow your laptop for a minute? We might have a problem.”

“Yeah, sure, absolutely, let me get it.”

“Misha’s brother is letting me borrow his laptop, give me just a minute,” you said to Liz.

“Okay, just thought you should be made aware in case you start to get questions about it.”

“Okay. Thanks, Liz. Bye.”

While Sasha went to go get his laptop Misha joined you in the kitchen. “Y/N, is everything alright?”

You shrugged, taking a seat at the table. “Apparently someone took some photos of us today and posted them online. Liz is just giving me a heads-up.”

“Here you go, Y/N,” Sasha said, setting his laptop in front of you. 

You logged into your email account and clicked the link that Liz had sent you.

_Supernatural Star Thankful for New Love?_

_Has Y/F/N Y/L/N has moved on from Destiny Awaits co-star and rumored flame Patrick Mason?_

“Oh for fuck’s sake, it was _one freaking date_ ,” you muttered, rolling your eyes before continuing to read.

_Today sources spotted her cozying up to Supernatural co-star Misha Collins at a café in Collins’s hometown of Boston, MA._

Below were several grainy photos of you and Misha that had clearly been taken on someone’s cell phone while you two were at Mike’s earlier that day.

One photo had you with your head thrown back after Misha had told you a particularly funny joke, another was of the two of you smiling at each over your coffees, a third one was when you and Misha were sitting close with your heads together so you could take a selfie of the two of you, and the final one was when you had put your hand on Misha’s arm.

_Eyewitnesses say that Y/L/N, who joined the Supernatural cast last year as hunter Nikki Sutton, and Collins, who portrays the angel Castiel, enjoyed a romantic stroll through the North End of Boston, stopping at a local establishment for coffee and pastries before setting off together for locations unknown._

_So is love blossoming on the Supernatural set? Keep it tuned here to find out!_

Misha shook his head and muttered something under his breath.

You looked over at him. "What? I didn't catch that."

Misha shook his head. “Nothing. So what do you want to do about the article?”

You shrugged. “It really doesn't bother me but if you're bothered by it we can get them to remove it."

Misha shook his head. "Nah, it's whatever."

"Okay then. If it keeps up or gets worse when we get back to Vancouver we can just address it on our respective social media accounts or something.”

You shut Sasha's laptop down and handed it back to him. “Thanks for letting me borrow your laptop, Sasha. I’m gonna turn in for the night. I need to pack and don’t want to be rushed doing it tomorrow.”

"Yeah, I probably should do the same," Misha added.

“Ok, good night.”

You gave Misha a hug. “‘Night, Mish.”

“Good night, Y/N. See you in the morning.”

You headed upstairs and began packing your belongings. You had almost finished when you realized you had forgotten the book you had brought with you in the living room, so you made a mental note to grab it in the morning before heading to bed.

* * *

"Bye Mom, bye Sash," Misha said as he gave his mother and brother a hug as the two of you got ready to head to the airport for your flight back to Vancouver. "See you next month."

"Bye, my darling boy," Rebecca replied, before turning to you and handing you your forgotten book. “Y/N, dear, you forgot this and I’d hate for you to have to wait until Christmas to get it back. We _will_ be seeing you for Christmas, correct?" 

“Oh, well, I uh--” You looked over at Misha.

Rebecca narrowed her eyes at him. “You mean Misha hasn’t asked you yet?”

“What’s the holdup?” Sasha chimed in playfully. "You could book your flights while you're at the airport." 

Misha chuckled. "Well I _was_ going to at least wait until next week when Y/N has had a chance to recover from Thanksgiving, but since you two are so impatient…" Misha turned to you. "What do you say, Y/N? Would you like to spend Christmas and New Years with us?"

You bit your lip. "I mean I would love to, but are you all sure? I mean, crashing your family Thanksgiving is one thing, but crashing your Christmas too..."

"Absolutely. You already survived one holiday with us -- that makes you an honorary member of the Collins-Tippens-Krushnic family."

You laughed. "Well okay then. Count me in."

A car horn sounded outside.

"Our cab is here," Misha said. "We gotta go."

You gave Sasha a hug goodbye. “I've had a wonderful time this week -- thank you so much for your hospitality."

"You're welcome to come visit any time," Sasha replied.

"See you again soon, my dear," Rebecca added, giving you a hug as well.

"Bye, Rebecca. See you in a few weeks."

You and Misha loaded your bags and climbed into the cab.

As the car disappeared around the corner, Rebecca turned to Sasha. "So, how long until Y/N's an _official_ member of the Collins-Tippens-Krushnic family, do you think?" she asked with a smile.

Sasha grinned. "You saw it too, huh?"

Rebecca patted Sasha on the back. "Oh my son, I know what love looks like. It's written all over their faces."

"Yeah." Sasha shrugged. "It just depends on how long it takes them to actually see it in each other."

* * *

*********ONE YEAR LATER*********

"I can't wait to see Sasha and your mom," you said as your taxi pulled into Sasha's neighborhood.

"I know they're excited to see you too," Misha replied, giving your hand a squeeze. "In fact, they might be more excited to see you than they are to see me."

You laughed. "Sorry, sweetheart."

Misha smiled softly at you. "That's okay, I can't blame them. I'm always excited to see you after being apart for less than a day."

Your face grew warm. "Aww, Mish..."

The cab pulled to a stop in front of Sasha's house.

You and Misha thanked your driver and got out, grabbing your suitcases and wheeling them to the now-familiar front door, where Rebecca and Sasha waited.

Misha took your hand in his. "Mom, Sasha, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Y/N," he said with a wink.

You laughed and gave Rebecca and Sasha each a hug. "Hey Rebecca, Sash. Good to see you."

"Hey, Y/N," Sasha replied. "So you two _finally_ told each other how you felt, huh? Misha told me you were actually dating now but he didn't give me any of the details on how it happened."

You grinned as Misha wrapped an arm around you and planted a kiss to the side of your head. "Well, it's kind of a funny story…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to know what exactly was said when you overheard Misha and Sasha talking in the kitchen? Proceed to the next chapter...


	6. Bonus Scene: Mistaken Identity?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's find out what exactly Misha and Sasha were talking about when the Reader overheard them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last pre- What's In a Name story! Enjoy this little snippet -- our first from Misha's PoV!

After bidding Y/N good night, Misha headed into his own room. He was almost ready for bed when his phone beeped with a text. 

He grinned and sent a reply.

He finished getting ready for bed then headed downstairs.

He walked into the kitchen, where Sasha was waiting with two beers.

He slid one over to Misha. "Figured you'd need this."

"Thanks." Misha took a sip.

"So did Y/N get settled in okay?"

Misha nodded. "Yeah, she was admittedly nervous but said that you and Mom made her feel very welcome, so thanks for that."

Sasha chuckled. "I can understand. Meeting the boyfriend's family for the first time has to be nerve-wracking."

Misha's eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Sasha gave him a strange look. "Y/N. Meeting me and Mom."

Misha was confused. "Y/N’s not my girlfriend..."

Sasha blinked in surprise. "As much as you talk about her and as much time as you two seem to spend together both on  _ and  _ off-set you seriously mean to tell me that you're  _ not _ dating Y/N?"

“What? No. Y/N and I are  _ just friends _ , Sash. That’s it. That’s all that’s between us. Friendship. Very  _ close _ friendship, but  _ just _ friendship.”  _ Even though I wish it wasn’t, _ he thought. 

He scoffed. “Trust me, there is absolutely  _ zero _ romantic connection there,” he said before pausing to take a long swallow of beer. "At least not on her part, anyway."

Sasha was looking out towards the foyer but cut his eyes back to Misha. He grinned. "So you  _ do _ like her!"

Misha sighed. "I more than just  _ like _ her, Sash, but it doesn’t even matter because she only sees me as a friend. She's mentioned what a great friend I am multiple times throughout the past year and even tonight while you were getting our wine and checking on dinner she was telling Mom what a 'wonderful friend' I am to her and how lucky she is to know me." He laughed mirthlessly. “Trust me, I am firmly in the friend zone.”

Sasha shook his head. "Didn't you tell me that Y/N made a _ten_ _thousand_ dollar donation to Random Acts last year for Christmas?"

Misha nodded. "Yeah, but I mean it's tax-deductible, she was probably just--"

"And that you two kept in contact every single day while she was back in L.A.?"

"Yes, but--" 

" _ And _ that she made another huge donation to Random Acts for your birthday in addition to buying you a gift?"

"That's just how Y/N is, she's a sweet person."

"Have you even  _ tried _ telling her how you feel?"

“Yeah, I  _ have _ , Sash. The very first day I met her I was going to ask her out for drinks, but then Jared and Jensen made it a group thing. Then I tried to tell her after the cast & crew Christmas party, but it was literally her last day in Vancouver so I kinda figured I had missed my chance and by the time I found out she had been promoted to series regular and was coming back she was already saying what a ‘great friend’ I am and how ‘lucky she is to have a friend like me’.”

Sasha shook his head. "Look, Mish, if you don't wind up making a move you're going to miss your opportunity, because a great woman like Y/N doesn't stay single for long."

Sasha finished his beer and clapped Misha on the shoulder. “I’m headed to bed. I’ll see you in the morning?”

“Yeah, see ya.”

Misha finished his own beer and headed upstairs. He paused in front of Y/N’s door, fist raised to knock.

After a few moments he sighed and lowered his fist.  _ Y/N’s probably asleep, _ he thought.  _ I’ll just speak to her tomorrow. _


	7. Better than Cheesecake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Misha have FINALLY confessed your feelings towards each other. What will transpire when he asks you over for dinner later that evening?
> 
> (Spoiler alert: it's sexy time)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a continuation of "What's In a Name?" -- We're finally in established relationship territory!
> 
> I do suggest you read that first (https://archiveofourown.org/works/27870538) but if not it's fine. :)

_ I still can't believe this is actually happening, _ you thought.

After two years of (unknowingly to either of you) mutual pining you and Misha had just (finally) confessed your feelings towards each other and were currently getting hot & heavy on the couch in your trailer. 

Misha’s tie and both his button-down and undershirt had been discarded somewhere on the floor and he was working on ridding you of your own shirt. 

He slid his hands along your sides, you arching up into him so he could pull the shirt over your head from where you lay underneath him. 

Suddenly your phone started ringing. You ignored it until it cut off, then immediately started ringing again.

Misha sighed and dropped his head into your shoulder as it rang a third time. He sat back. "You should probably get that."

You groaned and grabbed blindly towards the small coffee table in front of your couch, finally finding your phone when it rang for a fourth time. "Yes?" you said irritably.

"Um, Y/N?" It was Phoebe, one of the production assistants. "I’m sorry to interrupt your lunch, but you‘re needed on set. The lighting setup for the Castikki confession scene has been reconfigured and you’re needed in order to test it out.”

She paused. “I, um, I was going to come get you but Jensen said it was probably better to just call you instead, and he also said that Misha was more than likely with you and that you would let him know."

You glanced over at the man in question, who was currently pulling his undershirt back on. You almost mourned the loss of having his torso on display. "Yeah, he's here. We’ll be right there."

You sat up as you ended the call. "We're needed back on set to test out a new lighting configuration."

Misha nodded, picking his button-down up off of the floor. "Um, I was thinking… would you like to have dinner together tonight? My place, seven o’clock?"

You nodded. "I'd love to. I'll bring dessert?"

Misha gave you a slow, sensual kiss. "Actually, I was hoping you'd  _ be  _ dessert," he murmured seductively into your ear.

You shivered. "In that case, it's a date."

"Yes, it  _ is  _ a date." Misha gave you one more kiss before he stepped back. “Come on, let’s get back to set before Jensen actually  _ does _ send someone to come get us.”

You laughed lightly. “Yeah.”

You walked back to set together, laughing and joking like usual as you entered the warehouse. 

“Hey, looks like you two worked things out,” Jensen said when he saw you.

You shrugged. “Yep, all good now.”

“Just a misunderstanding,” Misha added. “Ready to get back to work.”

You took your places in order to check the new lighting setup and once Jensen was satisfied with it, you continued with filming.

This time, you and Misha stuck to the script… for the most part. 

* * *

_"Aaaaand_ _cut!"_ the second unit director said over the handheld radio that sat next to Jensen in Baby. _"Jensen, you want to come check the shot?"_

Jensen backed Baby up to the starting mark and he, Jared, Misha, and you all climbed out. You were filming the last scene of the day, which also happened to be the last scene of the episode.

As Jensen went to go check the footage Jared turned to you and Misha. "Hey, Jensen and I were talking about going see this band that's playing down at the bar tonight and I wanted to see if you two wanted to go too."

You shook your head. "I'd love to, but I have a date."

Jared's eyebrows raised. "A date? Oh, okay. Well what about you, Misha?"

Misha grinned and wrapped an arm around your shoulders. "Sorry, Jar, but I have a date tonight as well." 

Jared's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, when did this happen?" 

"Earlier today, actually," you replied. "Turns out Misha is quite the kisser."

A smile spread across Jared's face. "Well it's about damn time. I'm really happy for you both."

"Thanks, Jar," Misha said. "Enjoy the show tonight."

Jared winked at the two of you. "Enjoy your date."

You grinned. "Oh I'm sure we will."

* * *

Once Jensen was satisfied with the footage and you all wrapped for the day you hurried to your trailer to get changed and headed back to your apartment.

You showered, washed and blow-dried your hair, and brushed your teeth before heading to your closet to choose an outfit.

You grabbed your phone and called Norah. She knew all about your feelings for Misha and had encouraged you on several occasions to 'just woman up and tell him how you feel already.’

"Hey, Y/N! What's up?" Norah answered.

"Nor, I'm having a bit of a fashion emergency," you replied. "Can you FaceTime?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

You switched over to FaceTime and waited for Norah to accept the call.

"So what's the occasion?" Norah asked. 

"I have a date tonight." 

Norah's eyebrows raised. "A date?" she repeated. "With who?" 

You had been hoping to hold out a bit longer but couldn't help but grin. "Guess."

Norah gasped. "No fucking way. Really? Like an  _ actual _ date?"

You nodded. "Yeah, and you won't believe how it happened."

You proceeded to fill her in on the day's events -- how while filming Nikki and Cas's first kiss you had accidentally moaned Misha's name, how Misha had thought that  _ he  _ had screwed up and came to your trailer to apologize, and how it had ultimately led to you two confessing that you were interested in the other and getting frisky on your couch.

"Anyway, we got interrupted before we could go too far -- which was probably for the best, honestly," you concluded. "So before we went back to set he asked me if I wanted to have dinner at his place tonight. Like as a date."

Norah whooped. "Go ahead girl, get you some!"

You laughed. "I'm certainly hoping to. But really, what the hell do I wear?"

* * *

An hour later you stood outside of Misha’s apartment, poised to ring the doorbell.

You took a deep breath and pressed it.

A thought flashed through your head --  _ What if Misha had changed his mind? What if he decided that you two would be better as friends and he didn't want to change the dynamic of your relationship? Shit, what if you really  _ **_were_ ** _ better off as friends--  _

Before you could talk yourself into a panic, the door swung open and your mouth went dry.

Misha wore a gray t-shirt with an open black button-down over it, black slacks, and black and white sneakers. His hair was styled in your favorite deliberately messy look on him -- it was the perfect combination of dressy and casual. 

A grin spread over his face. "Y/N, come on in."

You stepped inside and turned towards him as he closed the door behind you.

He took in your outfit. "You look amazing."

Your face grew warm. "Thank you." You had chosen a  [ long-sleeved black & red floral-print mini wrap dress ](https://bohemianbae.com/products/rose-print-wrap-dress?variant=32098690170951) and  [ black heeled sandals ](https://www.asos.com/us/glamorous/glamorous-block-heel-sandal-in-black/prd/13574956) . You kept your makeup to a minimum and -- thanks to Norah's advice -- had foregone any jewelry.  _ Less for you to have to take off later _ , she had said with a wink. "You look fantastic too."

You held out the box you carried from your & Misha's favorite local bakery. "I brought cheesecake -- I didn't have time to make anything so it's from the bakery near my apartment."

"Oh that's fine, thanks."

Misha took your hand in his, leading you down the entranceway into the apartment proper. You paused, a soft smile spreading on your face. 

Misha’s small dining table had been set for two. A candle flickered merrily in the middle, giving his dining area a warm glow. 

Misha gestured over at the table. “Dinner’s just about ready, so have a seat. Would you like some wine?”

You nodded as you headed to the table. “I would love some.”

Misha poured you each a glass and brought them to the table, handing you yours and setting his down. Next, he brought over two plates of delicious-looking pasta, setting one in front of you. “ _ Cacio e pepe _ ,” he explained, sitting across from you. "Pasta with cheese and pepper."

You took a bite, the buttery cheese sauce and toasted black pepper blending perfectly together on your tongue. “Ohmigosh. Absolutely amazing, as always.”

“Thanks.” He looked thoughtful.

“What’s on your mind?” you asked.

He was quiet for a moment, as if he was at war with himself. Finally he said, "I really thought that I had screwed everything up during Cas and Nikki's first kiss today. I would normally  _ never _ go any further than what a script called for without discussing it with my scene partner first, but the second my lips touched yours I completely forgot myself." He bit his lip. "Which is no excuse, I know--"

You quickly shook your head, effectively cutting off his self-flagellation. "Mish, sweetheart, you’ve got to stop beating yourself up over that. Trust me, you're not the only one who forgot themselves and kept that kiss going." You reached your hand out, palm up, and wiggled your fingers until he took it, then gave his hand a brief but reassuring squeeze. "I mean, I was getting to kiss the man I've been romantically interested in for over two years now, who not only happens to be one of my closest friends, but was probably the best first kiss I’ve ever had in my life."

"I could say the same thing -- that I was finally getting to kiss the woman I’ve been attracted to for over two years, who not only is one of the best people I know and a very dear friend, but was  _ also  _ probably the best first kiss of my life.” Misha shook his head with a laugh. “I still can't believe we've been attracted to each other for that long and neither one knew about it. Why didn't we ever say anything?"

"I  _ did! _ " You said. "I told you that Cas was my favorite  _ Supernatural  _ character when we first met, remember?" 

Misha shook his head with a laugh. "I thought you were just saying that to be nice."

“That text was my pathetic attempt at flirting with you.” You took a sip of wine. "Mish, I've been interested in you since I was checking out the show to get ready for my audition. Your intro scene in the barn with Dean and Bobby? Not only were  _ you _ incredibly hot, but Cas was a BAMF. Then you were so nice asking me out for drinks with you and the guys my first day on set that I thought for sure that was just how you were -- which I was right, by the way. You’re such a genuinely nice and caring person, and I absolutely adore that about you."

"I have to admit I felt the same about Nikki's introduction, but honestly I was interested in you the very first moment I saw you." Misha grinned and rubbed the back of his neck with an adorably embarrassed look on his face. “And actually I had meant to ask you out for drinks that first day as a date, but I mentioned it to Jared and Jensen before I actually asked you and they thought I meant with  _ all  _ of us, which is why they tagged along.”

You blinked in surprise. “You mean to tell me that they unintentionally third-wheeled us?”

Misha nodded. “And I’m pretty sure neither one ever realized it.”

“And then I was late, which is why you looked so upset when I first got there… Oh my god.” You shook your head with a laugh. “Well it may have taken us two years but I’m glad we’re finally giving this dating thing a try.”

Misha smiled at you. “Me too.” 

The conversation during the rest of dinner was easy -- comfortable -- like it had always been the entire course of your friendship.

After you were both done eating, you offered to help Misha with the dishes, but he shook his head. "I’ll take care of these later,” he said. “How about we move to the living area for a while before we have dessert?"

You nodded. "Yeah, sure."

You and Misha grabbed your newly-refilled wine glasses and moved to the living room, Misha shedding his button-down shirt and you taking your shoes off before sitting on the sofa next to each other, you curled up against Misha with your feet tucked under you and his arm around you.

You both sat quietly for a few moments, just enjoying each other’s company.

Misha planted a soft kiss to the top of your head. “Mmm, this is nice.”

You hummed contentedly in response. “Yeah.”

Misha cleared his throat. “Hey, so about Thanksgiving this year…”

You looked up at Misha. “Did you want to go to Boston alone this year? It’s fine if you do, I don’t mind just hanging out here in Vancouver for the week if you’d just rather spend the time with your family.”

Misha quickly shook his head. “No, no, of course not. It’s just that, well… I mean…They already know you, so do I tell them we’re dating now, or…” He trailed off.

You grinned. “You can tell your mom and Sasha that we’re together, it’s fine. Besides, I think they’d probably take one look at us and immediately figure it out.” 

You traced a finger along the skirt of your dress. “Which reminds me… I don’t mind your family knowing about us, and Jared already knows which means Jensen probably already knows… but other than them I’d like to keep this to ourselves for a little while, just to have some privacy while it’s so new.”

Misha nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good to me. That’s one of the reasons I asked you to have dinner here instead of taking you out.”

“Oh? What was the other reason?”

Misha grinned wickedly. "I really  _ was _ hoping that you would be dessert."

You didn't give Misha a chance to say anything else before you pressed your lips to his.

He groaned and deepened the kiss.

You wrapped your arms around Misha's neck as he slid his hands down to your sides, lifting you up and settling you astride his lap. 

You ground down, moaning when you felt his hardening erection rub against you.

Misha kissed his way down your jaw to your neck, grazing your pulse point with his teeth. 

You tugged at Misha's t-shirt. "Off," you muttered. "Need this off."

Misha leaned up to pull his t-shirt up over his head and flung it away, leaving his torso bare.

You weren't going to lie -- you had watched the  _ Supernatural _ episodes with shirtless Misha more than once in the past couple of years plus you had gone swimming with the guys on multiple occasions while all on vacation together so you were used to seeing him without a shirt on, but actually getting to see him up close and personal with all that skin on display just for you  _ definitely _ got your motor running. "Fuck, Misha, you're so hot," you breathed, running your hands across his chest and down to his abs. "Jesus Christ."

Misha groaned at your touch. He slid his hands under the skirt of your dress. "I've been wanting to get this dress off of you since you got here," he admitted.

You smirked. "Well there's no lighting tests on set to interrupt us now."

He groaned. "God, Y/N…"

You lifted your arms as he tugged your dress up & over your head before tossing it away. "God, you're gorgeous," he breathed, his eyes roaming down your body.

Your face grew hot. "Mish, you've seen me in my bra before on set, not to mention in a swimsuit while we were all on vacation."

Misha shook his head. "I always felt like a creep looking at you like that without you knowing what I felt for you, especially when we're on set, so I tried not to."

You flooded with warmth at the thought of Misha’s gentlemanly behavior.  _ How did I get so lucky? _

You kept his eyes locked on you as you reached behind your back and unclipped your bra, sliding the straps down your arms. "You can look at me all you want now," you said, dropping your bra on the floor next to the sofa with a smirk. "I'll even let you touch."

Misha's breath caught as his eyes darkened. "You don't have any scenes coming up in the next week that require you to be in your underwear, do you?" he asked gruffly.

You shook your head. "No."

"Good." 

He wrapped his hands under your thighs and lifted you up, causing you to yelp in surprise and tighten your hold on him as he carried you to his bedroom.

He deposited you on his bed, toeing his shoes and socks off as he climbed in after you. He trailed his hands across your upper chest and down your arms, guiding you back into a lying position. "You're so fucking beautiful, Y/N," he murmured reverently before kissing you once again.

He worked his way down your neck to your chest, flicking his tongue over one nipple before sealing his mouth over it and sucking gently, lightly pinching the other one between his thumb and forefinger.

You cried out, arching into his mouth. He gave your nipple one final lick before kissing his way across your chest, circling your other nipple with his tongue before softly blowing cool air across it.

You gasped. "Fuck!"

Misha grinned up at you. "We're getting there, Y/N. Patience."

He took his time kissing and caressing his way down your body, occasionally pausing to suck a mark into your skin. By the time he reached the waistband of your underwear you were already a writhing, moaning mess. "God, Y/N, you're incredible," Misha murmured, trailing his thumbs across your abdomen. "So responsive."

He slid your underwear down your legs, discarding them onto his bedroom floor. He licked his lips, then slowly trailed his hands down your sides. 

You whimpered as he traced the anti-possession tattoo on your hip with his tongue. The tattoo was real -- it had been part of your 'promotion to series regular' celebration. You had gotten it a few days after your dinner at Jensen's, giving it plenty of time to heal before filming began for the season. 

He sucked one final mark right below your tattoo before making his way further down and settling himself between your thighs.

"Mmm, so wet for me," he said before licking a broad stripe up your folds. "Christ, Y/N, you taste  _ divine. _ "

You let out a loud moan. Your hands flew into Misha's hair and you gave a light tug.

Misha growled against you, causing you to tug on his hair once again. "Don't worry, Y/N," Misha said. "I'll give you what you need."

He slowly worked one finger, then two into your core as he explored you with his tongue.

Misha's tongue and fingers in you felt heavenly and soon you found that familiar coil tightening in your belly. "Misha, I'm close, I-- please--" You honestly had no idea what you were begging  _ for _ , just that you needed  _ something _ .

Misha seemed to understand, humming against you then flicking your sensitive bud with his tongue one last time before giving it a gentle suck.

You cried out as the coil snapped. "Oh my god,  _ Misha _ !"

Misha groaned and gave a gentle kiss to the inside of your thigh as he soothed you through your release. "God, Y/N, I love the way you say my name."

He slowly kissed his way back up your body to your lips, you moaning at the taste of yourself on his tongue. "Need you naked," you muttered, sliding your hands down to fumble with the button of his pants. "Want to feel you in me."

Misha gave you one final peck before leaning back and shuffling out of his pants and boxers. 

He leaned over and opened his nightstand drawer, taking a condom out before closing it again.

You were newly flooded with desire at the thought of having Misha inside you. You shivered.

Misha quickly tore the wrapper open and rolled the condom onto himself before settling back between your legs. "You sure you want this, Y/N?"

Your back arched in pleasure as he nudged your entrance. "Yes, please Misha, I--"

You cut off with a gasp as he sank into you, the feel of him lighting you up from the inside.

Misha let out a slow breath, letting you adjust to his size. "God, Y/N, you feel so good, so tight around me."

You quivered beneath him. "Move, Misha, please move."

Misha withdrew then slid back in, creating a slow rhythm that quickly left you both panting with need.

"I've wanted this... wanted  _ you _ for so long," Misha managed through gritted teeth. "I love the way you feel around me, so tight, so perfect-- Shit, Y/N, please tell me you're close."

"Misha, yes, don't stop, please," you moaned. "I'm almost there, baby, you feel so good, filling me up so well."

Misha picked up his pace slightly, hitting that perfect spot inside you each time. "God, Y/N, you're so beautiful, so perfect for me, I can't believe I'm here with you… Fuck, I'm so close, Y/N, come with me--"

"Yes, fuck, yes...  _ Misha _ !" You didn't know if it was the praise, the command, Misha himself, or a combination of the three but all it took was one more well-timed thrust and then you were falling apart beneath him. You could hear Misha groan as his own climax hit, thrusting weakly as he emptied himself inside the condom.

You were still shaking as he dropped his head onto your shoulder. "Holy shit," you breathed.

Misha huffed out a laugh. "Yeah."

You winced as he eased out of you. While Misha wasn't 'porn star huge' he was still well-endowed and quite a bit bigger than the 'special friend' that you kept hidden in a box under your bed. "You okay?" he asked in alarm, obviously noticing your slight discomfort. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

You shook your head. "No, I'm fine," you reassured him. "It's just been a while, that's all."

"You sure?"

You gave him a kiss. "Yes, I'm positive. I promise."

He disposed of the condom in the wastebasket by his bed and turned back to you, pulling you into his arms. You hummed contentedly and snuggled into his chest, basking in the afterglow.

He planted a kiss to the top of your head. "Stay with me tonight?" he whispered.

You tilted your face up to look up at him, your heart filling with happiness. "Yeah, I'd like that."

You lay there together for a few minutes, then Misha asked, "Ready for some of that cheesecake you brought?"

You smirked. "Race you."

You leapt out of bed and ran for the kitchen, Misha hot on your heels. You gave a shriek then a giggle as Misha caught up with you.

He wrapped his arms around you and spun you around, giving you a deep kiss. "Mmm, now that I think about it, how about we take the cheesecake back to the bedroom?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea to me." You grabbed your phone off of Misha's counter where you had set it and pointed to the charger that was plugged up near his counter. "Mind if I use this to charge up my phone?"

Misha shook his head as he got the cheesecake out of the fridge. "No, go ahead. You can use the receptacle on the other side of my bed if you want."

"'Kay, thanks."

You grabbed Misha's charger and brought it into his bedroom, bending down to plug it in the outlet on the opposite side of his bed from where he slept.

You straightened up, plugged in your phone, and turned to see Misha watching you with a seductive grin. "What?"

Misha quirked an eyebrow. "Just enjoying the view."

He held out a plate. "Cheesecake?"

You nodded. "Thanks."

You had just sat together on Misha's bed when suddenly both of your phones chimed with text messages.

Misha set his cheesecake down, leaned over, and dug his phone out of the pocket of his discarded pants.

He laughed as he straightened. "Well Jensen definitely knows about us."

You picked your own phone up to see a message from Jensen.

"Oh jeez," you muttered.

Misha showed you his phone, which had the same meme. "I'm guessing you got the same message?"

You nodded. "Pretty much."

"Here, I have an idea."

Misha climbed into bed with you, tugging the blankets over you to hide your modesty. "Here, on three, we flip off the camera, ok?"

You nodded with a grin. "Sounds good."

"Okay, one, two… three!"

Misha leaned in and kissed you as you both simultaneously flipped the camera off.

He typed something and sent it to Jensen.

You grabbed your phone again, typing your own reply. 

  
  


You set your phone back down and picked up your slice of cheesecake. "Oh, hey," you said.

Misha looked over at you. "What?"

"You have a little cheesecake right… here."

You swiped your fork against Misha's lips. "Here, let me get that for you."

You leaned in and kissed the cheesecake off of his mouth. "There."

You scooped up a bit more on your fork. "Oh well wait, you have some more. Right… here." You swiped it on one of his pecs. "Don't worry, I got it."

You leaned over and slowly licked it up, circling his nipple with your tongue and giving it a gentle suck.

You swiped a bit more on his abs. "Oh wait, there's a little bit…” You licked it off. “Right here." 

You licked your lips, keeping your eyes trained on Misha's. "Hmm, maybe I should see if there's any more anywhere else, anywhere…” You trailed a finger down Misha’s front, dipping under the covers. “...Lower."

"Y/N," Misha said warningly, his eyes dark with lust.

You took a bite of cheesecake, giving an exaggerated moan. “Mmm, delicious.”

Misha growled. “You know what? Fuck the cheesecake.”

You  _ just _ managed to put the plate back on the nightstand before Misha launched himself at you, tackling you down on the bed as his hands and lips roamed your still-naked body.

After that night, cheesecake became your new favorite dessert.


	8. Meet Me in the Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Misha make up after your first fight as a couple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBH I just wanted an excuse to write make-up sex.
> 
> This takes place about a month after Speak Again, Bright Angel.
> 
> Chapter title from Aftermath by Lifehouse (which inspired this chapter).

Misha stood outside of Y/N’s apartment, nervous as hell and hoping against hope that Y/N would let him in.

He squeezed his eyes shut, remembering the hurt look on Y/N’s face as he had stormed out of her apartment two hours prior. He wasn’t even sure what had caused the argument, just that it had ended with him leaving in a huff and walking around for an hour until he texted Jensen and asked him to meet him for a drink.

He had broken down, explaining to Jensen that he had fucked up, that he thought he had just ruined the best relationship that he had ever had, and that the worst part was that he honestly wasn’t even sure what the argument had been over.

Jensen had sat patiently and listened to him, then had told Misha that one little fight was not going to break him & Y/N up and that Y/N loved him and would forgive him, then had sent him back to Y/N’s apartment to ‘apologize for being a dumbass’.

He took a deep breath and knocked.

No answer.

He knocked again.

Still no answer.

He knocked a third time, a little more insistently.

This time, the door swung open.

Misha took in Y/N’s swollen, red-rimmed eyes and mussed hair. His heart broke. _Fuck. I caused that._

Y/N frowned when she saw him. "What, Misha?"

He bit his lip. "Can we talk?" 

For a second it looked like Y/N was going to tell Misha to go fuck himself, but instead she just sighed and opened the door wider. “Fine.”

She turned and left Misha to close the door behind him. 

He followed her into the living room and took in the crumpled tissues and half-empty bottle of wine on her coffee table. 

Y/N turned and folded her arms in front of her chest protectively. "Ok, talk."

Misha took a deep breath. "I just wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier."

Y/N blinked and dropped her arms. "What?"

"I shouldn't have yelled and stormed out on you like I did. I love you, and I’m so fucking sorry for overreacting.”

Y/N sighed. “I’m sorry too,” she said. “We could’ve avoided the whole situation if I would have just talked to you. It’s just… I never really had someone care about me enough to actually be willing to deal with my anxiety so it’s always been easier just to push people away, but with you...” She paused. "I realized after you left that I had really screwed up."

Misha let out a watery chuckle. “So you forgive me for acting like an ass?”

A small smile graced Y/N’s face. “Of course I forgive you.”

“Oh thank God.” Misha wrapped Y/N in a hug. 

Y/N let out a watery laugh. “So I take it this means you forgive me too, huh?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely." 

Y/N sniffled. "I thought you were coming back to break up with me in person."

Misha was aghast. He leaned back to look at Y/N. "God, no, baby, of course not." He chuckled. “Besides, Jensen already threatened to kick my ass if I ever, and I quote, ‘broke your heart’.”

Y/N’s eyebrows raised. “You talked to Jensen?”

Misha nodded. “Yeah, I felt terrible after our fight and asked him for some advice.”

“And what did he say?”

“That one little fight wouldn’t actually break us up and that you love me and you would forgive me, and that I should come apologize for ‘being a dumbass’.” He chuckled.

“Did he tell you that I talked to him too?”

Misha shook his head, surprised. “No, when?”

“Not long after you left. I felt awful afterwards so I called Jensen and kind of explained what what was going on, that I was having a bad day and that I made it worse by picking a fight with you and that I was afraid that you were going to break up with me because I was too much to deal with. He basically told me the same thing he told you except for the ‘being a dumbass’ part, even though I _was_.” Y/N looked down at the floor.

Misha gently tilted Y/N’s chin up so he could look into her eyes. “Well first off, you could never be a dumbass. And second, I’m not actually going anywhere.” He grinned. “You’re stuck with me for as long as you'll have me.” 

Y/N smiled softly. “I suppose I can deal with that.”

“You can _always_ talk to me, okay, дорогая? Please don’t ever feel like you can’t or that I’ll judge you for it. This is a judgement-free relationship when it comes to mental health.”

“Okay.” 

Misha kissed the top of Y/N’s head. “Now, you know the good part about us having a fight?”

Y/N’s brow furrowed. “There’s a good part?”

“Mmm hmm.” Misha leaned down to murmur in her ear. “The make-up sex afterwards.”

A slow smile spread on Y/N's face. “Bedroom then?”

Misha nodded and took her hand.

Once they were inside Y/N’s bedroom he tilted her chin up and lowered his lips to hers.

They continued to kiss gently as Misha guided Y/N to the bed, each press of their mouths together an apology, a promise, and a declaration all rolled into one.

They took their time undressing each other, softly caressing and kissing newly-exposed skin, and when the time came that Misha finally, _finally_ pushed into Y/N it was like everything clicked into place for him. _I want to marry this woman._

He held eye contact as he slid out then back in Y/N’s warm, wet core, keeping a slow, steady pace as he made love to her. “I love you,” he murmured.

“I love you too- _ooh_.” Y/N gasped and her eyes widened as Misha changed his angle, hitting deeper inside her while he kept the same slow pace. “Oh god, Misha, right there.”

He kept up the new angle, cataloging every minute expression on Y/N's face, every hitch in her breath, every flutter of her eyelashes. _God, she's beautiful_.

They had learned each other's bodies quickly in the two months that they had been in an actual relationship, so Misha could tell when Y/N was getting close. He sped up his rhythm slightly, grinding against her sweet spot with each thrust. “Shit, Y/N, you feel so good, красотка, I love you so much, don’t want to ever lose you.”

“Don’t wanna lose you either -- holy shit, keep going, Misha, I’m right there.”

Misha could feel the coil in his belly about to snap. “That’s it, прекрасный, come with me.” 

Y/N’s back arched, pressing her front to Misha’s as she came with a cry of Misha’s name and pulled him into orgasm right along with her.

Misha groaned out Y/N's name and pressed his lips to hers in order to keep himself from blurting out a proposal as he spilled deep inside her.

He gave her another kiss before carefully withdrawing and flopping down at her side, pulling her into his arms. “Damn.”

Y/N giggled and turned towards him. “I agree."

"Let’s never fight again, ok?”

Y/N hummed and leaned up to give Misha a kiss. "How about from now on we just skip the fight and get straight to the make-up sex instead?”

"Mmm, now that's an idea I could get behind." Misha grinned. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Mish.”

As Y/N snuggled against him, basking in the afterglow, Misha thought about his earlier revelation. _I’ve got some plans to make_.


End file.
